


Between Lies

by orphan_account



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Animalistic, Blackmail, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Exploration, Extortion, F/M, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, Forced Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Friendship/Love, Heartache, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Character Death, Minutemen Questline, Mutual Pining, Nuka World, Older Man/Younger Woman, Possessive Behavior, Raider Lifestyle, Romantic Friendship, Sibling Incest, Slavery, Smut, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, breaking up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 23:19:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8421469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The new Overboss is everything that Gage had hoped for...loyal, hardworking, kick-ass, and just about everything he wants in a woman. There's just one problem...she's married.(Updated Every Tuesday)





	1. From Victim to Victor

"You got me wired up yet?" Colter's thick accent bounced around the helmet of his armor, echoing in Gage's ears like a bad headache.

He wasn't very skilled at fixing up power armor, especially ones that were electrified. He only told Colter that he could hook it up just so he could have a ring side seat to the fight in case someone worthy came along to take over...now it seemed like that moment had arrived.

He had never seen a run through the gauntlet quite like this. The Vic wore a suit of power armor and had a dog following behind them. They were quick and deadly. The perfect combination to be the new Overboss.

"Yeah, boss." Gage responded after tightening the last bolt.

"Finally. Now go shut off that damn alarm."

"I'm on it." He turned and walked inside the box.

All the gangs gathered in the arena to witness the fight, it had been a couple weeks since the last idiot tried to take on Colter. The poor bastard only lasted about 20 seconds before they were laying cold on the ground. Nobody was a match for Colter in the damn suit.

"You sure this is gonna work, Gage?" A nervous voice was in the shadows of the room.

"Calm down, Fritsch. You seen that guy? Best run I've ever seen. This is the one, I know it."

The two men watched from the window as Colter tried to intimidate the Vic. He had never gone up against someone with that much protection...he seemed nervous.

"You think that suit is gonna protect you? Think again." Colter taunted, "alright Gage, let 'em through."

Gage dismissed Fritsch and typed on the terminal, opening the doors to the locker rooms. He watched as Colter loaded up his bullets, not knowing what was coming. It was gonna be a hell of a show...

"Alright, listen the hell up! If you want to survive this I only got a minute to explain. Find the intercom on the wall." Gage spoke into his end of the mic.

He waited a few seconds, listening to shuffling around the locker room.

"Hey, man...I know you're still in there!" He called out.

He could hear static feedback as the Vic stepped closer, preparing to speak.

"Who is this?" A female voice answered through the speaker.

"What the? How the fucks a girl made it this far?" He almost thought it was a prank.

Sure, women have made it through the gauntlet...but none survived. Colter would take them down in a matter of seconds. Sometimes he'd capture them and bring them back to his quarters to do God knows what with them before killing them. The man was a monster.

"Excuse me? Who am I talking to?" She spoke again.

"I'm the guy that's gonna get you outta here alive so listen up." Gage continued.

"Alright, I'm listening." Her voice was soft and low.

"My kinda gal." He smirked.

After explaining about the squirt gun and how to use it, he opened the doors. He wasn't too sure if this lady would make it through alive, but damn if she wasn't skilled. Watching Colter run like a pussy from a woman with a water gun was just about the funniest thing he's ever seen. His eyes watered from laughing.

Once the electrical field around his suit burnt out the woman pulled out a hunting rifle and shot him in the chest about five times before throwing a grenade at him. Colter's body went flying and hit the window by the Pack, making them all howl and cheer. He was down for the count...and the woman was the victor.

"Holy shit! Did...did that just happen? Gage, what the hell?" Red Eye spoke over the speakers.

"You saw it. We all saw it! Colter's dead...we got ourselves a new Overboss." He looked to the arena seating.

"This guy? Are you sure Gage?" Mason protested, not knowing that it was a female under that power armor.

"You better know what the hell you're doing!" Nisha chimed in.

"Hey, we talked about this! They survived the gauntlet and took my advice, it's what we need. How about we show some damn respect for our new boss?" Gage fought back.

"He'll get respect when he earns respect." Mags scoffed, also unaware of the gender of the new boss.

"Amen." William added.

"Alright, alright! Now get the hell outta here. I'll show the boss around."

Everyone slowly filed out and the woman in power armor walked over to the window where Gage stood. He opened up the door and felt the ground tremble as she walked near him...damn armor was tough. He couldn't see her face but she looked exhausted, it was written in her body language.

"What did I tell ya? Worked like a charm." He looked up to the metal eyes of the suit.

"So...you wanted the Overboss dead?" She asked.

"Fuck yes. And I got you to thank for it." He chuckled.

"Great...then I guess my job here is done." She put her rifle over her back.

"Not quite. How would ya like to be in charge of this place?" He grinned.

*

Gage lit up a cigarette as he waited for the woman in armor at Fizztop. She was taking her sweet time wandering around the park. He was about to give up and go look for her when the elevator below was activated. He blew out a puff of smoke and cracked his knuckles. Time to get down to business. She stepped off the platform and stomped towards him, metal feet crashing against the floor. The dog behind her followed.

"Welcome home, boss. The digs are yours now, hopefully you could redecorate." He chuckled, looking at the twisted style that Colter had.

"Is there somewhere for me to repair my armor?" She asked.

"Sure, corner over there." He pointed.

Without another word she walked over there and ejected from her armor, Gage watched in curiosity...he hadn't seen her until now. When she stepped out from the metal suit his cigarette dropped from his mouth and onto the floor. She was young...attractive. Long waves of blonde hair and rosy cheeks were the first thing he picked up on. Freckles dotted her face, lips painted red...she looked like one of those chicks in old magazines.

She ran her hand through her hair and something shiny caught Gage's eye, a little silver band around her left hand. If he had another cigarette in his mouth it would've dropped again.

"Holy shit. You married?" He asked while eyeing her finger.

"I...yes. I'm married." She said softly.

Her voice was much more clear out of the power armor. It was low, still feminine but smooth like caramel.

"Wow. If I had a gal like you I don't think I'd let her outta my sight." He admitted.

She chuckled and walked back over to him. He noticed the way her hips swayed as she moved, she better be careful...not all the raiders in the park were as friendly as he was.

"Ready to get to work?" She smiled.

"Sure thing, boss."

"You don't have to call me that. I'm nobody's boss."

"Whatever floats your boat...but you are still in charge around here. What should I call you?"

"Kit." She placed her hand out in front of her to shake his.

"Kit, huh? I'm Gage. Porter Gage." He shook her delicate hand, taking note of how soft it was.

_How the fuck did someone like her take down Colter?_


	2. Kitten or Puppy

"Who are we seeing again?" Kit asked as she walked beside Gage.

"Mags and William Black. They lead the Operators."

It was time for Kit to meet all the gangs, no matter how much she tried to stall. It was clear that she was exhausted from her fight with Colter. Dirt and sweat marked her exposed skin and the red on her lips faded, making her look parched. Regardless, Gage was pushing her around Nuka-Town so she could get familiar. The last thing he wanted was for her to become lazy like Colter was.

"Are they married?" She asked as they turned the corner.

Gage couldn't help but chuckle.

"Brother and sister...but they are also married in a way." He smirked.

"What do you?...Oh."

It was no secret that Mags and William were lovers, they were pretty fucked up in that way. They had a rough life, losing their parents inheritance and being banned from Diamond City ruined them, but honestly two siblings fucking each other wasn't the weirdest thing Gage had heard of.

Gage opened the door to the Parlor and let Kit walk in, following close behind as she made her way to the main area when Mags and William sat talking to one another. He could tell that Kit was nervous to speak up, probably intimidated by their relationship. The siblings sat holding hands, whispering sweet nothings and giggling like teenagers.

"Mags, William. Care to meet the new boss?" He interrupted their conversation.

Mags looked over at Gage, the purple shadow over her eyes shimmered against the low lights of the Parlor, making her look racy and playful. He watched them look beside him to examine Kit, who was nervously standing, playing with her blonde hair. The more Gage looked at the two women the more they looked related. Fair skin, blonde hair, though Kit was much younger and not as tall.

"Well, well...it seems I may have misjudged you when I first laid eyes on you." Mags stood up, releasing her brother's hand "I didn't know our Overboss was a young lady."

"Thank you." Kit said quietly.

"I'm Mags," she batted her lashes "...this is my brother, William." She gestured behind her.

"Pleasure." He nodded.

"It's nice to meet you both." Kit smiled.

They talked for a few minutes, Mags did her usual speech about how Nuka-World was made for money and that their goal was to get the most of it. Kit was polite, she didn't interrupt or give them attitude. It made Gage wonder where this girl was from, he didn't know anyone who spoke like her. It was like she was from another world.

"So, boss. Are you going to do right by us?" William asked, arms crossed.

"Don't worry. I intend on treating everyone equally." Kit explained.

Both Mags and William chuckled, locking eyes before staring back at the Overboss.

"Just wait til you meet the others before you say that."

*

A short walk later they stepped into Pack territory. Gage could tell right away that Kit was nervous, all the face-painted freaks and caged animals seemed to bother her. He didn't really understand why, honestly the only thing she should be scared of is Mason... As they got closer to him Gage caught his face when his eyes noticed Kit. It was like the animal in him awakened. A protective urge awoke in him, he knew Kit was far too sweet for all his bullshit.

"Overboss...welcome to the Pack." A creepy smile was glued to his face as he eyed the young woman.

"Hello." She said quietly.

There were two dogs in a cage, fighting and killing each other. Everyone had gathered around to place bets and cheer, shouting and howling as the animals mauled one another. Kit had a panicked look on her face as if she wanted to jump in and rescue the dogs and beat everyone who was cheering the fight on.

"Don't mind them, boss. They don't bite." Mason chuckled.

"Ahem." Gage cleared his throat.

Mason's serpent eyes looked over to him and nodded, getting his message to back off.

"You an alpha, boss?" He continued.

"Y-you can call me Kit." She stammered.

"Kit? Like Kitten?" He grinned.

"It's actually short for Kathleen."

"How about I call you Kitten? Would you like that, boss? Do you want to be my little Kitten?" Lust was threaded between his words.

"Mason." Gage warned.

He looked back at Gage and grunted. It was obvious that he wanted to spend more time playing with Kit but there was no way he'd do anything stupid with him standing there.

"Alright, let's talk...I heard you been talking to the Operators and word is you're meeting with the Disciples next. I just want to know which gang you're leading towards, boss. The Pack wants their fair share too." He explained.

"I want to help everyone."

"Hmph...doubt you'll be able to do that."

"Why don't you tell me which territory would you like?" Kit asked.

"All of 'em. None of the others deserve a piece of land." Mason sneered.

"You can't have all of them. Pick two and I'll do my best to give you them." She negotiated.

Mason sighed and thought for a moment.

"Okay. We want Kiddie Kingdom and Safari Adventure." He decided.

Kit nodded and looked to Gage to lead her out of the amphitheater, it was clear she had enough of the racket in there.

"Thank you, Mason." She turned to say goodbye.

"Anytime, Kitten. Feel free to see me whenever you'd like." He winked.

As Kit walked back up to the market Gage turned back one last time to shoot Mason another warning glare. The thought of him being alone with Kit made his blood boil. 

*

Gage mumbled under his breath all the way to the Disciples territory. He wanted to beat the shit outta Mason for his behavior with Kit. If someone talked to Colter like that he would fuck 'em up but unfortunately Kit was too ladylike and green to ruff someone up. It was going to have to be something to work on.

When they walked into the Disciples large arena Kit almost gagged and covered her mouth. The smell of decaying bodies and sour blood was heavy in the air. Right near the entrance there was a trader that was clinging to life while being impaled on a spike.

"Oh, my God." Kit gasped.

"It's alright, just keep moving. Don't let them think you're weak, boss." He whispered from behind her.

Kit nodded slowly and swallowed down her discomfort as she stepped forward to greet Nisha.

"Hey there." Fear still lingered in her voice.

"So, you're Gage's little pet project. Hmph, I didn't expect someone like you." Nisha scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kit spoke up.

"You are Gage's new little puppy in training. I must admit, I didn't think he would take the 'puppy' part so far...how old are you? Sixteen?"

"I'm twenty-one. And last I checked, I'm the Overboss."

"That title means nothing until you prove you're capable."

"I don't like your tone." Kit sounded frustrated.

"Get used to it, _boss_...we aren't going to stand by while another idiot in charge sits on their ass and doesn't give us our share."

"I've been here for three hours. Do I not even get a chance?"

Nisha scoffed and pulled out her knife, twirling it in her hand.

"Are you trying to intimidate me? It won't work." Kit stared her down.

"I don't need to intimidate you because you're already scared." She smiled through her spiked mask, knife still dancing between her fingers.

Gage watched closely, eyes glued to on the blade that was only a few feet from Kit's neck.

"Nisha, put that away. Is this how you want your first impression to be?" He stood in front of Kit.

"Protecting her already? I wonder how long it'll take before you stab her in the back like you did Colter."

"We all wanted Colter dead, not just me." Gage defended himself.

"That may be true but he was still your so-called best friend. You were the one to pull the trigger on our plan to get rid of him...in fact it was your idea."

"Hey! If you have something to say, say it to me." Kit spoke up.

"I only have one thing to say to you. Fuck this up, and I will kill you. Both of you."

*

Kit practically ran away from the Disciples and up to Fizztop. She sat on her bed and rubbed her temples, trying to calm down after Nisha's verbal attack. Gage could tell she didn't get threatened often...she looked scared outta her skull.

"You okay, boss?" He asked.

"What was all that about? About you and Colter?" She sounded upset.

"You knew from the start that I wanted Colter dead. Nisha was just trying to get under your skin."

"Well, it worked." Kit sighed.

Gage awkwardly looked around the room. He wasn't skilled at comforting anyone, let alone women. All he wanted was to get out of this situation before he was in too deep.

"Well, it's getting late. I'll come tomorrow morning so we can start clearing the parks." He scratched his head.

"What? You're leaving me here alone?" Kit asked.

"Uh, yeah. My room is downstairs in the old restaurant."

"But there's an elevator that leads straight into my room! Anyone could come up here and kill me in my sleep. Nisha could send someone to do it!"

"Calm down, boss. She ain't gonna do shit to you. She just wanted to scare you."

"This whole park is full of raiders. How am I supposed to feel safe when my room is open for anyone to come in?"

"Aw, shit. Fine, I'll stay up here. I'll sleep on the couch." He groaned.

Kit smiled and thanked him. As much as he wanted to sneak into his room he sucked it up and set the couch up for the night. He sat away from Kit and took off his boots and armor, setting them on the table nearby. When he turned back to his makeshift bed he glanced over at Kit and felt his jaw drop.

She had taken off the clothes she wore around Nuka-Town and was in a tight t-shirt and her panties. Gage gulped as he let his eyes wander down her legs past the delicate cotton undies she wore. Her legs looked soft and dainty like she hadn't been traveling before. There was no muscle definition or scars anywhere on her. It made him wonder how the hell she survived in the Commonwealth.

He watched her as she crawled into the large bed and got under the covers. She reached her arms inside of her shirt and fumbled for a few seconds before pulling out her bra and setting it on the floor beside her bed. Gage could feel his cock twitch in his pants as he looked. He wanted to pry his eyes off of her before she caught him staring but it felt impossible. The thought even crossed his mind of going over there and getting into the bed with her until he saw her hand pull the blanket over her.

Shit...her wedding ring.

He forced his eyes from her and sat back on the couch away from her view, mentally chastising himself for looking at a married woman. Sure, he was a raider but he still had rules...no chems, no alcohol, and no fucking someone who's already taken. That causes way to much bullshit to deal with.

"Goodnight, Porter." Kit yawned as she tossed in her bed.

"Night, Kit." He said quietly as he layed back onto the sofa.

As he drifted off into sleep listening to the sounds of Nuka-Town outside he mentally added another rule to his list: no falling in love.


	3. Dizzy Spells

"Ugh! I'm so tired of this place." Kit complained while bashing in another ghouls face in with the butt of her gun.

"Told ya it wasn't gonna be a walk in the park." Gage commented.

They had been wandering through Kiddie Kingdom for a couple hours now, dizzy and confused from the sprays of radiation and taunts from the ghoul in charge. They already searched the underground tunnels with no success. The whole park was like a maze, blocked paths and traps were set up everywhere, making the process of reclaiming it much more tough.

"How much further until we find the fun house?" Kit asked.

"Should be around the corner."

They pressed forward, leaving a path of dismembered ghouls as they went. When they finally entered the fun house Kit let out a sigh of relief and stopped to give herself a dose of rad-away.

"Need any?" She asked holding up a spare bag.

"Nah, I'm fine. Don't waste it on me." He rested in the corner.

"Don't be silly," she walked over to him "...give me your arm."

Gage hesitated but gave in, letting her poke his arm for a vein. The pads of her fingers were soft and uncalloused, it explained why she wasn't too great at shooting guns. If she were an expert her hands would be rough and skilled instead of dainty and untouched. After a few seconds of searching she pulled out a clean needle and carefully placed it into his arm. As the medicine went through his veins Kit held onto his hand, using two fingers to monitor his pulse. He was impressed, not many people knew how to properly administer medications like this.

"Damn, boss. Where'd you learn how to do all that?" He asked.

"My mom went to nursing school when I was a teenager. She always practiced her IVs on me. Eventually I learned." She smiled.

"What the hell is nursing school?" Gage looked up at her.

Her face changed from a gentle smile to panic, as if she wasn't meant to share that information.

"Um...nothing." She said softly.

She looked back down at his arm and pretended like he had said nothing, though an awkward tension still lingered in the air.

"Boss, where are you from?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Concord."

"Concord? Ain't that place just a bunch of ruins? You grew up there?" He couldn't stop his questions from flowing.

"My, uh...settlement got destroyed awhile ago. Nothing left there anymore."

Gage could recognize the sadness in her eyes and decided not to pry further. Once the medication was finished they stood up and walked further into the fun house, guns ready for whatever was waiting for them.

"Great, a maze of mirrors." She chuckled as she looked into the large room.

"Well, at least we know if something is sneakin' behind us." He joked.

It only took about a minute to get through the maze since it was designed for children. They sprinted down the hall way, making it past a couple platforms that spun. When they reached the other side and opened the door they saw a series of halls with bright green spirals that spun rapidly.

"Shit." Gage muttered.

"Just don't throw up." Kit said, stepping into the room.

As they stumbled through the disorientating halls they constantly bumped into each other and tripped, dizzy from the swirls.

"Listen to the sound of my voice...you're going to die! Hahaha!" The ghoul spoke around them.

"I think I see an exit, hurry!" Kit grabbed his hand.

Gage shut his eyes and let Kit guide him out of the halls, trusting that she wouldn't lead them into a dead end. He was pleased when they made it out and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, that was a nightmare." He exhaled.

"You doing okay?" Kit asked, placing her hand over his forehead.

"Um...yeah. Fine." He said quietly. It was weird to him that she cared so much.

They walked on into the next room to see it flipped upside down, tables on the roof, ceilings on the floor. Kit groaned and carefully walked forward, trying not to fall over.

"Feeling dizzy? Can't tell which way is up?" The ghoul taunted.

"Shut up!" Kit shouted to the voice.

They both practically crawled through the rooms, trying to keep their balance. It was a pathetic sight to behold, luckily nobody was there to see it. There was another door and Kit opened it slowly only to be greeted with a horde of ghouls spinning on a floor with several doors around it.

"Oh, you gotta be fuckin kidding me!" Gage shouted.

Kit threw a grenade into the room and shut her door, waiting to hear the blast. She opened it again and stepped inside with Gage behind her, both of them immediately falling to the ground from the force of the spinning.

"Damn it!" Kit yelled.

"Round and round and round and round!" The ghoul sang.

"I'm gonna kill this asshole." Gage said through gritted teeth.

Kit reached up and held onto a door knob, throwing it open to see a crib with two mannequins beside it. She slammed it shut and spun around again until she caught onto another door, this time it had a cement wall behind it.

"Argh!" Kit shouted.

Gage tried a door and saw a bathroom inside, then the next door was had a flame thrower behind it.

"Fucks sake!" He groaned.

He tried one last door and saw the hallway leading to the exit and quickly grabbed Kit's arm and yanked her off of the spinning floor and out into the hallway. Once the room quit twirling they both stumbled and fell down, Kit on top of Gage.

"Ow!" He yelled as he felt her fall over him. She wasn't heavy but the floor under him was rock solid.

Her chin hit his chest plate and she mumbled a curse before resting her head on his shoulder, trying to curb her nausea. He reached his hand up and rubbed her back to help comfort her. He felt a weird sensation in his chest as he held her, one that he wasn't familiar with.

"Shit...I dunno what kid thinks that's fun." He sighed.

"Beats me." Kit smiled.

She lifted her head up and made eye contact with him, they both chuckled for a few seconds thinking about how ridiculous the fun house was before Gage realized that she was still on top of him. He cleared his throat and looked away from her smile, trying to remember his rules about falling for girls who were married.

"Uh, boss. Wanna get up now?" He asked.

"Sure, sorry." She rolled off of him.

They took a few minutes to relax before moving onto the theater. God knows what was waiting for them there.

*

The old theater was rundown and abandoned. A thin layer of dust was on every seat, some even covering the red carpet that ran to the stage. Kit and Gage walked through it until reaching the elevator to confront the ghoul on top of the castle that overlooked the park. Gage was ready for a fight, nothing pissed him off more than being in that damn fun house. Kit carefully stepped out of the elevator, eyes searching for the magician. A puff of smoke appeared on the railing before them and he appeared, tuxedo and all.

"You raiders are all the same! Come into someone's home, steal their things, and kill the ones they care about." The ghoul spoke.

"It's Oswald, right? Look, we don't have to have anymore bloodshed." Kit spoke softly.

Gage stayed silent and watched as Kit talked with the ghoul. He actually put his long sword down and listened to her, spoke to her like she was a friend. She was compassionate and nice, which Gage never really thought mattered. In the end the ghoul decided to go out and find his long lost love or whatever the hell he was talking about. He disappeared leaving another smoke trail behind. Kit made sure to shut down all the radiation sprayers on his terminal and clear out the rest of the ghouls.

"Damn, boss. I'm impressed. Can't lie though, I was looking forward to killing him."

"He was just trying to protect his home, Porter. You can't blame him for that." She walked alongside him.

They went outside to the flag pole and Kit fished through her bag for the Pack's flag. Gage helped her raise it up and sat back watching it wave in the soft breeze of the afternoon.

"Well, I'll be. You actually did it." He smiled.

"I don't know why Colter never tried, it wasn't that hard." She chuckled.

"Well, he was a piece of shit. You...you're different, boss."

"Thanks, Gage." She took a step closer to him and wrapped her arm over his hip, giving him a half-hug.

He grunted at first, wanting to brush her off. He was a raider for God's sake...he didn't hug. Though, he had to admit...he didn't hate the feeling of her embracing him. He patted her shoulder and waited for her to release him before following her back to Nuka-Town, not saying another word.

"I guess I'll head over to the Pack and tell Mason they can start moving into Kiddie Kingdom." Kit said as they walked back into the gates of the town.

"How 'bout I go instead? You look pretty tired, maybe you could go rest up or something." He suggested.

He wasn't lying, she did look exhausted but he also didn't want her to be alone with Mason.

"Really? Thanks, Gage." She smiled.

He walked her to Fizztop and waited for her to get inside before heading over to the amphitheater, mentally preparing himself for the smell and sounds of the Pack.

Walking up to Mason's throne he noticed that he was sitting still, watching the two dogs fighting in the cage below him. When he noticed Gage he sat up, eyes looking behind him in search for Kit.

"Where's my kitten? She couldn't make it?" He smiled creepily.

"Don't fuckin' call her that, you moron."

"Hmm...getting possessive are we? She doesn't belong to just you, Gage. She's all of ours."

"Shut the hell up. I just came to tell you that Kiddie Kingdom is yours."

"So I've heard. It's nice to know the Overboss is backing us...or at least backing me."

"She's married, you idiot. She ain't gonna waste her time on you." Gage scoffed.

"That don't mean shit it me. Besides, what kinda man is gonna let a hot piece of ass like her come into a park full of raiders by herself?"

Gage didn't want to agree with that last statement but he found himself wondering the same thing. Why would her husband let her come here alone? If he had a girl like Kit he wouldn't let her outta his sight...

But he didn't have a girl like Kit...or Kit. He said a quick, passive-aggressive goodbye to Mason and walked back to Fizztop with a slight frown glued to his face. He didn't know why he gave a shit, he's gone 42 years without a woman, why was he wanting one now?


	4. Blackmail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for sexual assault.

The sun was setting over Nuka-Town as Gage and Kit made their way back from reclaiming Dry Rock Gulch for the Operators. The bloodworms weren't a big deal to exterminate but all the dirt they stirred up left Kit and Gage covered in sweat and grime. They walked side by side sipping on the flavor of soda that they found in the gulch. Gage took the liberty of tasting it first. 

"Ugh, this Nuka-Wild shit is disgusting." Gage spat out the root based drink.

Kit smiled and took the bottle from him, taking a swig for herself.

"I remember out west there was this other soda called Sunset Sarsaparilla. It was way better than this stuff." She remembered.

"Out west? I thought you were from Concord."

"I am but every summer my parents took me and my siblings out to Las Vegas to visit my grandparents." She explained.

"Las Vegas? You mean New Vegas?" Gage raised his brow.

"Um, yeah. New Vegas...anyway...that soda was way better than this." She threw the bottle in a trash can near Fizztop.

Gage wanted to ask more questions but decided against it. To be frank, he didn't really care all that much about it. As long as she was happy, he was happy. 

"I'll head over to the Parlor and tell Mags they can move on in. Why don't you go wash up, boss? You're lookin' a little dirty." He smirked while looking at the streak of dirt that marked her forehead.

"Sure. Thanks, Porter."

They parted ways and Kit took her makeshift elevator to Fizztop. She was looking forward to a relaxing sponge bath after the mess she had made on her clothes in Dry Rock, though nothing could ever really compare to a hot shower. She walked over to the bar and took off her shirt, tossing it over the bar stool. Her torso was muddy and bruised, scratches running down from her chest to her navel. She turned the sink on and filled it with hot water to soak her clothes when she began to remove her jeans.

"Mmm, look at you." A male voice said from behind her.

Kit yelped and covered herself with her arms as she turned around.

"Mason...you scared me." She said quietly.

He smiled and stood up from the couch where he was sitting and walked over to her, eyes glued to her exposed skin. He didn't say anything, just walked close to her until she was backed up against the bar.

"Lookin' good, boss." He said in a whisper that sent shivers down Kit's spine.

"D-did you need something?" She asked, avoiding his eyes.

"No, I just wanted to come visit my little kitten...thank her personally for giving my boys and I Kiddie Kingdom." His fingers traced the outline of her jaw, eyes looking down at her chest.

"I was just holding up my end of the deal. No need for thanks." She gulped.

He chuckled darkly and took a few steps back from her, much to her relief. He walked over to the sink and stopped the water, dipping his fingers in to test how hot it was. Without another word he reached over and took Kit's dirty shirt and pants submerged them into the steaming water. He lathered them up with the old bar of soap next to the sink and used his hands to ring out all the mud.

"Mason," she finally spoke "...what are you doing here?" She knew he wouldn't have come all the way over here to do her laundry. 

"Give me your bra and underwear." He ignored her.

"What? No!" She scoffed.

"Calm down, I won't look. Just hand 'em over."

Kit looked around nervously, wondering how long until Gage would come back. The thought crossed her mind of just leaving but she was already half naked, what else could she do? She took a deep breath and unhooked the clasp of her muddy white bra and tossed to Mason. He didn't flinch when he took it, keeping his promise not to stare. The next thing she handed him were her panties, half soaked in sweat and dirt. He took the small piece of fabric and brought it to his nose, inhaling the scent of her and making a soft noise of satisfaction. Kit winced and felt her face grow hot in embarrassment. She watched in an uncomfortable stance as he dipped the cotton panties into the water and washed it with the other clothes.

"Here. Wash yourself." He said, tossing her a wet washcloth and the bar of soap.

She caught it and did as he said, cleaning up all the mud and blood that covered her body. Her eyes were locked on the back of his head, making sure he wouldn't turn around and peek at her. She did the best she could and set the now dirty washcloth down and picked up a clean towel that was on the table behind her. She wrapped it around herself and tightened it around her breasts to secure it in place. She thought about going across the room to get some clean clothes but she wasn't sure if she should let Mason out of her sight. 

"So, Overboss...I've been hearing some pretty interesting things about you." Mason said as he rung water out from her clothes. 

"Oh? Good things, I hope."

"Well, I guess that depends." He chuckled.

Kit watched as he hung the wet clothes from the balcony window, using a certain kind of care with them. She was considering complimenting him on his laundering skills but he stood up and turned to face her before she got a chance. She held onto her towel and took a step back as he walked over to her with lust swimming in his eyes. 

"W-what are you doing?" She asked. 

"You know, every now and then I send some of my guys into the Commonwealth to do business, make a few trades, bash some heads in," he continued stalking towards her "...and this time my guys came back with some pretty interesting information."

"About what?" She felt dread in her gut. 

"You, boss. I didn't know you were like a celebrity out there. My guys say that everyone knows you." He cornered her. 

"S-stop..." She tried to speak. 

"You've been a very bad girl...lying to us all. I bet you thought we would never find out about you, kitten...or should I say General?" He grinned.

Kit felt her stomach drop as he spoke. She knew the raiders were bound to find out about her true identity someday, she just thought it wouldn't happen so soon. Mason ripped the towel from her body and threw it behind him, looking back he grabbed her breast and squeezed it until she screamed in pain. He chuckled and pressed himself up against her, grinding his erection against her bare hips. She squirmed under him and tried to back away only to be pulled closer to him. 

"I didn't say you could move, kitten." He grinned, leaning down to nip at her neck. 

"Gage is going to be here any minute." She threatened as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Don't worry, I won't take long." He smirked.

He pulled his ridiculous red, furry pants down to his hips and pulled out his cock, rubbing the tip along Kit's thigh. She could feel the precum stringing along her skin as he rubbed himself on her, the feeling made her want to throw up. More tears spilled from her eyes as she prayed for someone, anyone to come and save her. She wanted to scream for Gage but she knew he was too far to hear. Even if she did yell loud enough the only people to hear her were the Disciples and they all hated her guts...she knew she was doomed. 

"So, here's how this is gonna work, boss..." he whispered in her ear "you're going to give the rest of the parks to the Pack. Fuck the Disciples and the Operators and hand over all the territory to us."

"And if I don't?" Kit's voice was shaky and full of fear.

"I will fuck you. Hard and fast until you beg me for more. Then I'll put a baby in you and you'll be tied to me forever with no choice. You understand?"

Kit nodded and stifled another cry.

"Let me hear it." He demanded.

"I understand." She cried. 

He smiled and put his member away, kissing her cheek as he slowly backed away from her. 

"I ain't gonna lie though...part of me hopes you disobey me. I bet we could make some cute babies...ya know since your son was killed in the Institute." 

Kit didn't respond, she only trembled in the corner. She had no idea how much information he had against her. If he knew about Shaun, then he probably knew everything. 

"Oh, and if you mention a word of this to anyone, especially Gage...I'm gonna go to that pretty little settlement in the Commonwealth with all your friends and mutilate every single one of them. Then I'll bring their bodies back here and redecorate your room. Got that?"

Kit nodded again, only this time she didn't bother to hold back her sobs. 

"Good." 

He hit the button on the elevator and left, leaving Kit a mess. She sat on the floor and sobbed until nausea took over and she ran to the trash can in the corner and threw up. All she wanted was to go home...but she couldn't she had to finish her mission. Preston didn't send her all the way out here to leave empty handed...


	5. Coward

Gage wasn't a very perceptive man when it came to women. In all honesty he didn't really care to be since the few females he dealt with long term were Mags and Nisha. Besides, they had their own people to talk to, he had no reason to be all gentle and caring towards them...they were raiders for God's sake.

Kit on the other hand, she was different. She wasn't hard and rough like all the other girls in the park. She was classy, elegant, sometimes even innocent. She didn't wear her anger on her sleeve like Nisha or hide behind fake smiles like Mags, that's why he could pick up on the fact that something was wrong with her when they walked into the Galactic Zone.

"Found another one, boss." Gage said as he bent over to examine the corpse at his feet.

The star core was laying beside the body, covered in a thin layer of dirt. He picked it up and blew the dust from it before handing it over to Kit.

"We only need one more." Kit said while putting the core in her knapsack.

"Let's keep on looking. I hate all these fuckin' robots." Gage sighed.

They continued searching for the last core while remaining silent. Under normal circumstances Gage would prefer not talking but somehow not listening to idle chatter from Kit made him uneasy. As he looked over the staircase he saw the faint outline of Cappy and rolled his eyes. So far every park that he and Kit cleared out she would search for the hidden picture everywhere. It got annoying real quick.

"Hey boss, ain't that one of your Cappy's?" He pointed to it.

Part of him didn't want to bring it up because it would just distract her from their main goal but another part of him that was buried deep just wanted to see her smile.

"Oh! It is!" Kit gasped.

She dug through her knapsack and pulled out those ugly fucking glasses and put them on and ran over to the cappy to record the letter written on it. Gage couldn't help but chuckle. What kind of grown-ish woman would care so much about a contest from two hundred years ago?

"It's an 'S'...better remember this for Sierra." She commented.

She turned back to Gage and he cracked another smile.

"Boss, you look fuckin' ridiculous in those glasses."

She flashed a quick smile and a soft laugh before taking them off her freckled face and returning them to her bag. Gage felt accomplished...making her smile and laugh like that felt better than killing a Mirelurk Queen with a rubber mallet from the arcade. They walked ahead to the star walk and shot up at the laser turrets as they searched. Gage was thinking of more ways he could make Kit chuckle when she spotted something ahead.

"Look! Over there!" Kit exclaimed as she ran down the walkway.

She pulled the star core from a console at the edge of the exit and clung to it like it was a trophy.

"Good. Now let's get the hell outta here." Gage smirked.

They sprinted back up to star control and plugged it into the elaborate mess of computers and shut down the security protocols. They both took a sigh of relief and triumph when they heard the distant sounds of robots deactivating around the park. They both high-fived and walked up to the flag pole on top of star control and prepared it for a new flag.

"Alright, boss. You got the Disciples flag with you?" Gage asked as he pulled on the chains.

"Um, actually...I was thinking that maybe we should give the park to someone else." She said carefully.

"Nisha will be pissed if she doesn't get this park. You sure you wanna hand it over to the Operators?"

"No...I want to give it to the Pack."

Gage let go of the chains and took a step back in disbelief.

"Why the fuck would you do that? Mason already got Kiddie Kingdom and he's gonna get Safari Adventure. If you give him three parks the other gangs will think you're favoring him."

Kit sighed and pulled the flag out of her bag and handed it over to him.

"I've made my decision, Porter. Just raise the stupid flag." She grunted.

"...You're the Overboss."

*

The sun was fading over the horizon as they walked back into Nuka-Town with guns over their shoulders. Not much had been said since they raised the flag but that was only because if Kit said anything more she might've broken down in tears. She wanted to tell Gage everything that happened the night before. How Mason came into her room and washed her clothes, how he threatened her and rubbed himself on her. She even wanted to tell him that she was the leader of the Minutemen and that she came here to rescue the settlers here. The only thing that kept her lips sealed were the words that Mason spoke before he left her last night...

_"Oh, and if you mention a word of this to anyone, especially Gage...I'm gonna go to that pretty little settlement in the Commonwealth with all your friends and mutilate every single one of them. Then I'll bring their bodies back here and redecorate your room. Got that?"_

Kit was strong, maybe even heroic...she didn't care what Mason did to her. He could keep his promise to impregnate her, he could enslave her, he could even kill her for all she cared...but her friends, that's where she fell weak. She loved them...they were her family, the only thing left in this world that she lived for. If any harm came to them because of her...she would die. So she kept quiet and followed Mason's orders. Not for her sake, but for her friends.

Her mind sorted through all the mess of the past few hours as they walked over towards Fizztop. She looked up from the ground and looked ahead of her and Gage and saw Nisha and Dixie waiting by the elevator up to her suite.

"Aw, shit." Gage mumbled.

_Just stay strong...she won't hurt you with Gage right next to you..._

"Overboss, nice to see you finally got around to clearing out our park." Nisha greeted the pair as they approached.

"Yeah, OB. Tell us when we can move in! I can't wait to redecorate all those pretty little spaceships with spikes." Dixie's sweet accent echoed in her obscure helmet.

Kit swallowed back all her panic and took in a shallow breath. There weren't many things she was afraid of...radroaches, vaults, Cait when she's drunk...and Nisha.

"Change of plans," she began "...the Pack is going to be moving into the Galactic zone."

"Are you joking? This isn't funny." Nisha scoffed.

"I'm not joking." Kit tried to sound intimidating.

"C'mon, boss...you know they'll just turn it into one big zoo." Dixie added.

"This isn't up for debate. The Pack is taking over that territory." She repeated.

"We were promised that land. You holding out on us?" Nisha stepped closer.

"That ain't what's going on, Nisha. You're gonna get your share, just be patient." Gage stepped in.

"I've been patient for over a year while Colter sat on his ass and did nothing. I'm through waiting to get what's mine." Her voice was dripping with anger.

"Well, you'll have to wait longer." Kit glared at her.

Before Gage could fully comprehend what was going on he saw Nisha's blade making a fast swipe toward Kit and he quickly pushed her out of the way and felt the cold sting of the blade rip across his arm.

"What the fuck? Nish, stop!" Dixie grabbed her arm and yanked the knife away.

"Argh..." Gage breathed out as he grabbed onto the fresh slice that was on his arm.

"Oh my God!" Kit covered her mouth.

"You're lucky you're little bulldog got in the way." Nisha spat.

"Nisha, you're gonna get us all killed." Dixie hissed at her friend.

She pulled on Nisha's arm and dragged her back into the Disciple's territory while she fought back and screamed curses at Kit. As soon as the sound of the door to their hold out shut Kit turned to Gage and frantically ushered him onto the elevator.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Fine. Wasn't that deep." He mumbled.

He followed her into the suite and sat on the bar stool and watched as Kit went over to the sink and wet a towel and walked over to him, pressing it to his bloodied arm.

"I'm fine, boss." He reassured her.

"She stabbed you! She tried to stab me!"

"She's a fuckin' psychopath of course she tried to stab you! That's why I told you not to give away her land."

"I didn't think she would go this far!"

She wandered around the room trying to find a spare stimpak and panicking more and more about infection and germs.

"...God only knows how often she cleans that knife! What if you lose your arm or worse?!"

"Calm down, Kit. It's just a small cut, she barely broke the skin."

He watched as she sat next to him as she injected an extra stim into his arm, making the pain go numb. Her hands were soft on his own skin and warm, sending little shocks of pleasure to his chest. He wasn't sure which was making the pain go away, the medicine or Kit's touch.

"Porter," she spoke softly "...why would you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked.

"Push me out of the way...take the attack for me? She could've really hurt you."

"Well...better me than you."

He looked up from his injury and accidentally locked eyes with Kit. The blueish-green tint of her eyes were comforting, captivating...he wanted to get lost in them forever.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"I would do it again." He admitted.

His eyes slowly dropped to her lips, pink and parted. He took in a shallow breath as she got closer, lips moving against his.

It wasn't a full on kiss, just a peck lasting less than a second. He felt the weight of her lips press against his and disappear in an instant, leaving him wanting more.

"Kit...I..." He tried to speak.

"Yes?"

_Just say it. I like you...kinda. Or love you? Ah, shit...I'm no good at this._

He was pulled from his thoughts when his eyes shot down and saw the silver band around her finger.

_Fuck..._

"What is it, Gage?" She asked again, voice soft and caring.

"I...um," he sighed "...I'll sleep here tonight. Just in case Nisha tries to pull something."

She nodded and thanked him before standing up and walking over to her bed. Just like that the moment was gone.

_Coward..._


	6. Ghost

Gage woke up the next morning still in a fog from the night before. Sleep didn't come easy for him between the searing pain in his arm and his mind running wild about the kiss Kit had given him. He replayed it in his head over and over again until he gave himself a headache. Sure it wasn't a big kiss, just a peck on the lips but still it left him with so many questions.

Was she just thanking him for saving her from Nisha? Did it mean anything more? Was she going to do it again?

He sat up from the couch where he slept and shook the thought from his mind. He needed to focus on retaking the park before everyone killed each other, not some woman he barely knew. He stood up he reached for his shirt and pulled it over him, feeling the pain in his arm grow worse. As much as he wanted to wring Nisha's neck for stabbing him he had to admit that her knife work was impressive. He didn't have to look at the wound under the bandage wrapping to know it would leave a deep scar.

As he turned around to check if Kit was still asleep he noticed that her bed was empty and felt his concern take over. He quickly grabbed his pistol and went down the elevator and sprinted over to the Disciples territory thinking the worst. If Nisha had the guts to try and stab her who knows what else she might try? He swung the doors open and was immediately hit with the sour smell of blood that always lingered in the air. He held his breath as he walked past a decaying body and saw Dixie in the corner of the room sharpening her blade with a stone.

"Dixie." He walked over to her.

"Hey, Gage. How's the arm?" She greeted him.

Her sweet, honey-like voice was probably the most endearing thing about her. She had an interesting demeanor; girly and sweet yet bloodthirsty and crazed. Gage knew about her victims, she would always talk all cute to them, make them trust her then kill them in ways he couldn't even stomach. It made his concern for Kit grow stronger.

"Where is she?" He cut to the chase.

"Who, Nisha? She's upstairs still asleep."

"No. Where's Kit?"

"Kit? Who the fuck is Kit?" She asked.

"The Overboss, you dumb ass. Her name is Kit. Is she here?" He rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the ache that rippled through it.

"Watch you're tone, big guy. She ain't here. I'd check Mason's ass hole since her head is lodged so far up it." She scoffed.

"Look, Nisha stabbed me. For all I care you guys shouldn't get any territory."

"Nisha stabbed you because you were a fool and jumped in the way. And I get that she should be punished but you can't take it out on all the Disciples. It ain't right." Dixie stood up.

"Lucky for you I don't make the decisions." He grunted.

He turned around to leave and continue his search for Kit when Dixie ran up ahead of him and blocked his path. She posed cutely and stuck out her chest, trying to butter him up.

"Get outta my way." He rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we can come up with an agreement. We get some land, Nisha calms down...everyone wins." She smiled, though it was barely visible through her mask.

"What'd ya have in mind?" Gage asked.

*

Kit walked through the arcade doors with a smile on her face. She had been dying to check it out since she stepped foot in Nuka-Town and since Gage was still fast asleep she decided she could slip away and play for awhile to take her mind off all the shit that was going on.

"Hi, Fritsch." She greeted the raider.

"Overboss, come to play a few games?" He smiled at her.

"Yeah. Just a few, figured I'd try it out."

"Well, here have a few tokens on the house." He handed her the gold coins.

"Thanks."

She walked back into the arcade and heard someone using the atomic rollers game. She turned the corner and saw William Black rolling the small balls up the shoot and into the holes.

"Hello, William." She greeted him.

"Overboss. Good to see you."

He was tall, courteous, and overall a gentleman but Kit still couldn't shake the thought in the back of her head that he slept with his sister. I mean, sure it was a different world than when she grew up but still...the thought of having a relationship with her brother made her want to throw up.

"Mind if I play next to you?" She asked.

"Of course not." He rolled another ball.

She stood next to him and entered her token and began to play. She always loved these kind of games growing up, but she would always cheat and crawl up and put her balls in by hand.

"I never took you for a game kind of guy." Kit commented as she rolled her first ball.

"Yeah, it's pretty addicting. I like to come here in the morning so I can avoid other people."

Kit smiled and continued playing, watching William's score out of the corner of her eye and trying to beat it.

"So, boss...can I um, ask you something?" William spoke softer.

"Ask away."

"You're ring," he pointed to her wedding band "...mind if I take a closer look at it."

"Sure."

She slipped the ring off her finger and handed it over to him. He examined it closely, looking over ever detail and minor scratch that covered it.

"It's in great condition. Where'd you find it?" He asked.

"Um, well my husband gave it to me. He bought it from a merchant." She lied. In truth, Nate had actually gotten it from Fallon's Department Store. 

"I wanna get something like this for Mags. Haven't come across anything this nice though." He sighed.

"Oh...you want to marry Mags?" She asked.

"I didn't say that. Just wanna give my sister something nice." He handed her back the ring.

"Well, I'd give you this one to give her but my fingers are pretty fat. I doubt it would fit her." She said while slipping it back onto her finger.

"Wouldn't your husband be mad if you gave that away?" He looked confused.

Kit sighed and looked down at the ring. It was a constant reminder of her past and how much she had lost. She would actually love to give it away to someone else, let it make them happy instead of being a constant reminder of her dead family.

"No...he wouldn't be mad. Because he's dead." She looked back up at William.

"Oh. I apologize, boss. I didn't know." He truly seemed sorry.

"It's alright. Thank you though." She smiled.

"Kit?" Gage's voice echoed through the arcade.

"In here!" She called out.

Gage turned the corner and sighed when he finally saw her.

"Jesus, boss. I've been lookin' everywhere for you. Couldn't leave a note?"

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake you."

"Ahem, if you both will excuse me I should return to the Parlor." William said as he walked back from the game.

Gage and Kit said a quick goodbye and once he was out of the room Gage leaned against the machine she was playing on and took a good look at her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked while playing with the ball in her hand.

"Fine, boss."

"You should get some more rest, make sure that you won't get an infection."

"No can do. In fact we gotta head outside of the park today to do some business." He stood back up.

"What's outside the park?"

"There's some haunted house that was apart of an attraction before the war. We're gonna go clear it out for the Disciples."

"What? No way! Nisha stabs you and then we reward her with territory?" Kit scoffed.

"She stabbed me because you went back on your word and gave her land to Mason. She had every right to be pissed off. Now we got a chance to make it right and we're doing it."

"But-"

"No, Kit. Now come on, let's get over there before the sun comes up and it gets hot."

*

Kit grumbled and complained as they set out towards the spot that Dixie had told him about. He never really ventured too far out of the park before, just to the gauntlet and train station. He knew of the surrounding areas though, Bradberton to the North, the power station towards the west, and he had heard rumors of this place they were going to.

"What if it's really haunted?" Kit asked as they walked up the dirt road to the mansion.

"It's all bullshit, boss. No such things as ghosts."

"I don't know...I always believed in ghosts. My grandmother died when I was seven and I remember seeing her up sometimes in our garden sometimes."

"Well, I don't believe all that. It's just something to scare kids."

As they approached the large mansion they saw a protectron standing in a booth near the entrance.

"Aw, shit. One of these." Gage muttered.

"I like them, they're kinda cute." Kit smiled.

"It's a fuckin' robot. Ain't nothing cute about that."

She walked up to it and said hello and if it were going to respond back.

"Tickets please." It buzzed.

"Um, we're employees. We get in for free." She confidently stated.

The robot seemed to think for a moment before responding.

"Enjoy your visit to the Grandchester Mystery Mansion." It said.

Kit looked back and Gage and gave him a know-it-all smile as they walked into the main doors of the building. They both stood in the entryway with curious expressions on their face. It was a large house, nicely decorated and barely damaged from the war. Kit took a few steps into the building and jumped back quickly, startled when the tour played over the speaker.

_"The story of the Grandchester Mystery Mansion begins with Morticia and Hannibal Grandchester..."_

"What's the matter, boss? You scared?" Gage smirked.

"I'm not scared...I just wasn't expecting the recording to play."

He chuckled and walked forward into the next room with Kit following close behind him, eyes darting around looking for any slight movement.

"Ah! What was that?!" She jumped.

"What? Oh, come on..."

"Porter, I saw a shadow! I swear to God!" She pointed in the corner.

Gage rolled his eyes and walked over to investigate.

"Ain't nothing here, boss. You're imagining it." He sighed.

_"As a young child, Lucy proves difficult for her parents..."_

"I hate this place." Kit said under her breath.

They walked through a couple more rooms of the house while listening to the gruesome story of the past owners. Kit was frightened at every little sound the house made which Gage actually found funny. It was cute in a way, seeing her so startled over nothing. When they walked into the kitchen they were immediately fired upon by a Mr. Handy that was waiting there. Gage pushed Kit back behind him to shield her from the flames that were being thrown and he put four bullets in the robot.

"You didn't have to do that." Kit said once it dropped to the floor.

"Trust me, you wouldn't look good with your hair all burned off." He smiled.

She chuckled and walked with him upstairs into the next room and gasped when she heard a little girl laughing.

"Did you hear that?!" She looked around.

"Hmm, yeah I think so. Maybe there's a kid somewhere upstairs."

"What if it's Lucy?" She whispered.

"Boss, don't be ridiculous. There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Yes there is!" She argued.

They walked upstairs into a bedroom and listened to the recording. It was the parents bedroom where Lucy murdered them. Kit listened with an intense look on her face, believing ever word the recording said.

"What if the ghosts of the parent's are in here?" She asked as they looked at the large kind sized bed.

Gage felt his flirty side come out. He didn't know what it was, the atmosphere, the way Kit had wide eyes as she listened to the story, but he wanted to make a move.

"Well, if they are here maybe we can give 'em a show." He smirked and moved closer to her.

She chuckled and looked up at him as he drew closer, only leaving a few inches of space between them.

"What did you have in mind?" Her voice was low.

"I'll show you."

He put his hand on the back of her neck and gently pushed her closer to his chest. She smiled up at him and moved closer, relaxing her muscles as she ran her hand over his jaw to feel his stubble. He moved his head down, letting his lips barely graze hers. It sent a shiver down his spine as he felt her breath hit his cheek. He was determined to kiss her, to make her feel everything that he was feeling. He wanted to make her head spin like she had done to him the night before. As he slowly closed his eyes and let his lips hover over hers they both heard a loud bang that came from the next room. They both looked towards the noise and pulled out their guns to investigate.

"What was that?" Kit whispered.

"Shh...stay here."

He crept forward and pushed open the door to the next room and jumped back when a wave of bullets came flying from the door. He ducked behind the dresser by the entrance and saw a crazed gunner that was shooting at him, yelling incoherent things as his bullets flew past his head. Gage stuck his pistol out from the side of his shield and fired randomly, hoping that one of his bullets would hit him. He heard the ricochet of some of them against the walls before finally hearing a grunt from the gunner and then silence. He peeked into the room and saw the pool of blood around the dead gunner and sighed in relief.

"Shit...that guy almost got me." He sighed as he turned back to Kit. His heart sunk when he saw her laying on the floor with a puddle of blood around her waist.

"Kit!" He yelled and ran over to her, slapping the sides of her face to try and wake her.

Her face moved but her eyes remained shut. He looked down at her stomach and lifted up her shirt and saw the entry wound where the bullet entered. It didn't look deep but the blood the came from it was enough to make her go unconscious.

"Kit? Stay with me!" He shook her shoulder.

He quickly grabbed her knapsack that she always carried and pulled out a stimpak and some water while undoing his armor and yanking off the tank top that he wore underneath. He ripped it in half and balled up one end and put it Kit's mouth with he got the water and stim ready.

"Sorry boss, this is gonna hurt." He sighed.

He wet his hand with the purified water and pulled out his pocket knife and cut deeper into Kit's stomach where she was injured. She screamed into the shirt in her mouth as he sliced her open, just enough so he could use the tip of his knife to dig out the bullet. Once he pulled the silver pellet from her abdomen he poured more water onto it and held the other half of his shirt in place to stop the bleeding. Tears were streaming down her face as she bit into the makeshift gag.

"Kit? Wake up!" He brushed her hair from her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open and shut again as she went out of it again.

"I'm so sorry, Kit." He sighed in relief. He picked her up and left all of their stuff behind as he carried her downstairs and back to the park. All he could do was thank whatever God was above that she was alive.


	7. Soon

_"Overboss?...can you hear me?"_ A soft female voice spoke.

 _"Give her another dose of med-x, I'm going to go back to my lab and get fire ant nectar, it'll give her the boost she needs to wake up."_ Another female instructed.

The sounds of footsteps hitting wood walked away followed by the sound of a door shutting closed. As Kit tried to use all her energy on prying her eyes open she heard more words from the first person who spoke.

_"Boss, wake up..."_

"Hrhmm." She made a noise of struggle.

_"That's it, fight the sleepiness and open your eyes..."_

Her eyes felt like they were glued shut as she tried her best to blink. It took every bit of strength she had to flutter them open only to be blinded by the bright lights in the room.

_"Good job, boss...just breathe."_

Her eyes adjusted slowly to her surroundings as she looked to her side to see Mackenzie, the town doctor who was also a slave. If she listened closely she could hear the soft beeping coming from her collar.

"Wh..." She couldn't even speak.

"Where are you? We're in the Parlor, boss." The doctor answered for her.

Kit's eyes looked around the room, recognizing it as Mags and William's bedroom. What the hell was she doing there? She tried to retrace her steps and remembered the haunted mansion and being shot in the stomach.

"Mrm." She tried to sit up.

"Whoa! Slow down, don't move just yet. You've got stitches, we can't have you ripping them open!" MacKenzie spoke.

Kit sighed and laid back into the bed, shutting her eyes in frustration.

"H-...how?" She coughed and immediately groaned as she felt the muscles in her abdomen contract.

"How long have you been here?" MacKenzie guessed.

Kit nodded and felt a tear of pain slip from her eye and down to her ear.

"Just a day. You were asleep for most of it, Lizzie's been dosing you with med-x to help you heal faster."

That explains the other voice she heard and why she was in the Operator's territory. She tried to clear her throat and speak again.

"Gage?" She croaked.

"He's here in the Parlor. He hasn't left since he brought you in here."

Before her brain could absorb what she was just told she could hear the door open and shut again as a pair of footsteps walked over.

"Ah, good...you're awake." Lizzie spoke.

Kit looked up at her and tried to speak again, only to fail.

"Save your voice, boss. I'm going to have you swallow some fire ant nectar...it'll help give you the energy you need to talk and move around but it isn't going to taste very nice." The Operator sat beside her on the bed and opened Kit's mouth and tilted the back of her head up with her other hand.

"I want you to swallow every last drop, don't spit it out! You have no idea how hard it is to get this stuff..." She said while tipping the vile of greenish slime into Kit's mouth.

The texture was horrible, like squishy vomit and the aftertaste made her want to die but she took it all down in one gulp, gasping for air after it went down.

"Good. In about five minutes you should be feeling a lot better." Lizzie smiled.

"I'm going to go and give Gage an update." MacKenzie said as she left the room.

Lizzie stayed and brushed down Kit's hair while she hummed one of RedEye's orignal songs while carefully pouring small amounts of water into her mouth so she could drink.

"You gave everyone quite a scare, boss. We weren't sure how long you'd be out." Lizzie spoke softly.

Kit tried to relive the moment when she was shot. She remembered her and Gage about to kiss, then gunshots...out of nowhere she felt the worst kind of burning, stabbing pain slam into her stomach just to the side of her belly button. Then everything was a haze...

"It's been about two minutes, can you say something for me?" Lizzie asked.

"M-...my s-stomach hurts." Kit spoke slow and rough.

"Well that's usually what happened when you take a bullet there. Don't worry the med-x will kick in soon and you'll feel brand new."

*

MacKenzie walked out of the room and rushed over to Gage's little hold out. He had taken one of the beds in the Operator's common room and remained in there while he worked on his gun. When she walked into the room Gage looked up at her, eyes waiting for positive news.

"She's awake." MacKenzie announced.

"Can I go look for myself?" He asked as he wiped down his rifle.

"Follow me."

Gage walked a few feet behind her, trying to put on a calm face. On the inside he was panicking, wondering if she were going to be fine. He took full responsibility for what happened...he tried to make a move on a married woman and she ended up getting shot because he let his guard down.

The door to Mags and William's bedroom opened and he walked in, eyes looking only to Kit.

"Lizzie, mind if I have a moment alone with the Overboss?" He asked.

"Of course. I'll be right outside if I'm needed." She hummed as she stood up.

She shut the door behind her and immediately Gage walked over and took her place next on the bedside. He stared down at her and sighed. Her shirt was lifted to just under her ribs and he could see the stitching and bruising that covered where she was shot.

"Hey boss." He looked back up at her face.

"How do I look?" Her voice was tired and defeated but a small smile was present on her face.

"Like shit." He chuckled.

"Damn," she tried to laugh "...I was so sure I was ready to win a beauty pageant."

He smiled and leaned back against the bed frame.

"Do you feel as bad as you look?" He asked.

"I don't really know. I'm on so many chems that I don't think my blood is ever going to be clean again." She sighed.

"It'll be okay. You just need a few days of rest." He comforted her.

"What about the parks?"

"Jesus, boss...you got a hole in your stomach and you want to go take another park? We waited a year, we can wait another week."

"I just don't want to let anyone down."

"You ain't letting anyone down. We're proud of you, Kit...I...I'm proud of you." He admitted.

She smiled and leaned her head to the side so it was resting on the side of his hip. He let his hand brush through her hair and pat her shoulder as she closed her eyes. It only took a few minutes for her to fall asleep. He carefully stood and up placed her head onto the pillow and crept out of the room to let her rest. As he walked back into the Parlor he spotted Mags and William sitting at the main table, holding hands and giggling to one another.

"You two ever give the creepy sibling-fuckin' routine a rest?" He asked as he sat across from them.

"Perhaps we would if we had the privacy of our bedroom." Mags looked over to him.

"Right...well, you know I hate saying thank yous and shit but...thanks for letting Kit rest up here until she's better."

"Kit, hmm? Since when did you start getting on friendly terms with our new Overboss?" She smiled.

"I called Colter by his name, why does it matter if I call her by hers?"

"Because she's a widow, you can't be all buddy buddy with her if you ain't planning on fucking her at some point." William added.

"What the fuck are you talking about? She's married, you idiot." He rolled his eyes.

"Interesting. She never told you that her husband died...she told me."

"Yes, I find it quite intriguing too. I wonder why she wouldn't tell her number two that." Mags smiled at her brother.

"Cut the brahmin shit. She never told you anything." Gage crossed his arms.

"She did. When we were in the arcade a few days ago. Told me her husband was dead and then you came in lookin' for her." William explained.

Gage stayed silent. He wasn't sure if he believed them, as cutthroat and money hungry as the Operator's leaders were...they weren't known to be liars. But why would Kit not tell him? He wouldn't have judged her or anything...why was it a secret?

*

Throughout the day a few people have come in and out of Kit's room to visit her and give her well wishes. She didn't mind all that much, it was nice to know some of the raiders actually cared if she lived or died.

Fritsch came and talked with her for a few minutes and even gave her some Nuka-Cade tickets as a gift, after that Dixie came to say hello and thank her for almost dying trying to secure their territory, though Kit knew Nisha probably hoped she would die there...

The only person she really wanted to see was Gage but he had disappeared after she had fallen asleep on him. Lizzie said that he went to clear his head but Kit couldn't help but feel a little hurt that he didn't want to spend some time with her, especially with what happened right before she was shot.

She sat up in her bed and put her hair up into a bun while sipping on some Nuka-Orange. She was feeling better, just sore for the most part. When she heard a soft knock at her door she felt excited; maybe Gage had finally come back to hang out with her.

"Come in." She called out.

The door swung open and Kit felt her heart drop to her feet.

"Mason..." She said breathlessly.

"Hey, Kitten." He smiled as he shut the door behind him.

"Y-you can't be in here."

"Sure I can. Just wanted to check on my favorite gal, make sure she ain't too beat up."

He walked over to her and sat on the edge of her bed, forcing her to inch into the corner to distance herself. He laid on his stomach and stretched out next to her, face level with her hips. She wanted to kick him in the face there was no way her muscles would allow her to.

"Get off my bed." She said sternly.

His hands moved over to her stomach and he gently lifted up her shirt and looked closely at her stitches.

"Hmm, shame...that's definitely gonna leave a scar. I don't like my trophys to be beaten up." He looked over her.

"I am not your trophy." She glared.

"But you are...you're my Kitten. I don't know if you know how deals work, boss...but you went back on your deal, and that means that you're mine now." He grinned.

"What? I haven't done anything."

"That's where your wrong. See, in exchange for you givin' me and my boys all the territory then I wouldn't hurt you or tell everyone in Nuka-Town that you're actually a fucking Minuteman that's come here to wipe us all out. And if you disobeyed me, then I get you."

"I've done what you asked. You got the Galactic Zone instead of the Disciples."

"Yeah, but then you went and gave Nisha some fancy mansion outside the park. Now, the deals off." He sat up beside her.

"Fine. Then if our deal is off you won't be getting anything from me."

"Wrong again, Kitten. You're still gonna be mine and give me all the other parks." He chuckled darkly.

"Or what?" She scoffed "...you'll tell everyone who I really am? I'm not scared of you."

"You should be."

Kit sat up and moved closer to him, trying to swallow down every bit of pain that ached from her stomach as she moved to intimidate him.

"What are you going to do, Mason? Kill me? Do it...I fucking dare you." She glared at him with a fire behind her eyes.

Mason smiled as if he took that as a challenge.

"You know how charitable the Minutemen could be? They would give the shirt off their backs to a total stranger...that's why it was so easy to send my guys into your settlement. Sanctuary, is it?"

Kit stayed silent, the tough girl behavior she had drained from her in that moment.

"All my guys had to do was pose as poor, helpless settlers and they got a warm bed right in your settlement."

"You're lying." She felt her heart sink further down.

"You know they told me about one of your friends. Said she's real cute and feisty, I bet she would make the perfect little toy for me...what was her name again, boss? Poppy, Pepper?..."

"...Piper." She breathed out.

"Yeah," He grinned "that's the one. I was thinkin' of having my boys bring her to me so I don't get too lonely. I bet she'd look good with a collar on."

"Shut up!" Kit spat.

He laughed and put his hand on her chin, letting his thumb run over her lips. She shuddered at his touch and tried to back away, only to be pulled in harder.

"I could give you a good life, Kitten. We'd be feared by so many and loved by everyone else...just me and you. We could do this the easy way or the hard way...you can just accept that you're mine now or you can keep fighting until I take you by force. You're choice." He smiled.

"...Fuck you." Kit's voice shook with anger and fear.

"Good. I like when my kittens fight back. I gotta tell you, boss...it really turns me on to have you cower in front of me like this...I can't wait to put a baby in you and lock you up every night next to me. You'll be my prized possession..."

A tear rolled down her cheek as she tried to keep in all her anger. She wanted nothing more to just scream for help but she thought back to what he said about Piper and bit her tongue.

"Don't worry, boss. I ain't gonna fuck you right here, not with a bunch of Operators who could walk in any second...but soon. Soon I'll have you." He kissed her head.

As he walked out of the room Kit sobbed and hugged onto her knees. She wanted this all to be over, to wake up in Sanctuary and hug Piper and make sure she was safe. But as she drifted off into sleep she could only hear his words echoing in her head.

_Soon..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some serious shit is about to go down, folks!


	8. Raiders With Benefits

The river of Quantum in the bottling plant was slippery and sticky as Gage and Kit trudged through it. The neon blue soda stained their legs while the smell of all the sugar mixed with mirelurk droppings clung to the inside of their nostrils. It had been four days since Kit was shot and although she was sore and bruised up she was cleared to resume normal business. Gage hadn't talked to her much since she woke up. After Mags and William told him about her husband he had felt a strange anger bubble up inside his chest. He wasn't even sure why he was so pissed off, maybe because she had lied to him...or maybe because now he had all the clearance in the world to fall in love with her. Whichever it was, he decided that giving her the cold shoulder would help ease his mind.

"Gage, are you listening to me?" Kit asked.

He looked up from the river of soda and shook himself out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"I said we should take the back tunnels to avoid the Nuka-Lurks."

"Boss, we gotta clear 'em out. We can't let the Pack come in here and get torn to pieces by them."

"Who cares? Good riddance." Kit said under her breath.

"Why the fuck are we giving the Pack all the good territory if you don't even like 'em? Doesn't make any sense."

Gage had noticed it a lot lately. Every time Mason or the Pack were brought up in any way Kit always gave him hostile response. Which he could understand because the Pack are fuckin' animals and everyone hates them...but that made him wonder why she rewarded their behavior with territory.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about, Porter."

"Hmph." He grunted. If she was going to lie about her dead husband she would lie about anything.

As they walked further into the factory they spotted a Nuka-Lurk Hunter swimming around by the fake houses, they crouched down and took a breath before charging it. Kit was the one to take charge and went in swinging with her baseball bat while Gage shot from behind. It only took a minute or so to kill it but it's last attack sent Kit falling backwards into the river and soaked all of her clothes. Gage couldn't help but burst out with laughter as he saw her fall on her back.

"Ow...what's so funny?" She grunted as she struggled to stand.

"Just seeing a little thing like you get your ass handed to you by a fuckin' mutated lobster." He chuckled as he walked over to her.

"Shut up and help me." She rolled her eyes.

He sighed and grabbed her hand and pulled her up only to feel his stomach tie itself into a knot when he realized her white shirt was now see through thanks to the soda. Her belly button and bra were visible through the tint of the blue splash and he took in a shallow breath before forcing his eyes from her. It was difficult to stay pissed at her when she was walking around like that.

"Boss, you, uh...might wanna put on something to cover yourself." He gestured to her chest.

"Of course, Porter, I'll just put on my spare t-shirt that I always carry around with me." He voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Whatever." Gage sighed.

Kit mumbled something else under her breath as the continued walking through the river. In all honesty, she was mad at Gage for ignoring her. She couldn't help but think that if he had stayed by her side when she was in the Parlor then Mason never would've came to visit her. Ever since his talk with her she hadn't been able to sleep, she stayed awake jumping at every noise in fear that Mason was waiting to take her like he promised.

"Let's follow these stairs, I need to get out of this stupid river." Kit pointed to the backstage.

They walked up to the next level and went inside of the control room where terminals covered the walls and they had a view of the bottling factory. Kit went to the head computer and tried to hack it only to realize it was too tough.

"Damn..." She sighed while stepping away from the keyboard.

"What do you expect to find on that terminal? It ain't like it's gonna help us." Gage commented.

"It could unlock the power armor case downstairs."

"Shit, I don't need that metal suit to help me. I ain't a fuckin' robot." He scoffed.

Kit huffed and turned to face him, staring him in the eyes while she clenched her fists.

"Why are you acting like this, Gage? If anyone has a right to be pissed off, it's me."

"You? What the fuck you got to be pissed about?" He crossed his arms.

"Are you serious? I got shot in the stomach not even a week ago and you don't even give a shit! You never even tried to see me when I was in the Parlor!"

"Oh please, I didn't need to be there to hold your hand! Lizzie would've spoon fed you if you asked her to! I wasn't needed." Gage defended himself.

"I did need you! You just left me unattended while everyone came in my room!" She raised her voice.

"Boo hoo, poor little Kit had visitors who wanted to make sure she was alright!"

"Shut up! I fucking needed you there to protect me!"

"I ain't your fuckin' husband! Speaking of which, you lied to me! Why would I want to protect you when I can't even trust you?"

"What are you even talking about?!" Kit screamed.

"Your husband is dead!" He shouted back at her.

She took a small step back and broke her eye contact with him. She was breathing heavily from shouting and Gage noticed a twitch in her left eye as she relaxed her tense muscles.

"You...you knew about that?" She asked calmly.

"William told me...I guess I was wondering why you never mentioned that." He sighed.

"I don't know. I just got here and I was scared and...I thought maybe if I said I had a husband then nobody would mess with me. Clearly I was wrong."

"You could've trusted me...I thought you did."

"I do, Gage. I wouldn't travel with you if I didn't."

"Well, I'm not sure if I believe you anymore. How could I trust someone who keeps secrets?"

"Everyone has secrets. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Fuck that. I don't got anything to hide. I've always been an open book with you, Kit...I guess I thought you were being the same with me."

"I am...or I try to be." She looked down.

She was never good at lying to people she cared about but there was no way she could just tell Gage about her life with the Minutemen.

"You try to be? Jesus, Kit...I thought we were...I don't know friends or something." He sighed.

"We are friends, Porter."

"I wanna believe that, boss. I do but I don't think you're being honest with me. I mean what's all this shit with the Pack? You clearly don't like 'em so why the hell are we busting our asses for them? You know Mags and William would fuckin' love this place, there's caps everywhere...why don't we just give it to them?"

"I...no. I already told you were giving it to the Pack."

"Hmph. Figures." Gage murmured.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kit looked up at him.

"Look, I don't care what you do in your private time but you can't let that shit influence how you lead us all. It ain't right to play favorites."

"What are you talking about? I don't play favorites."

"Oh come on, boss...look, I get that Mason ain't the ugliest lookin' guy in the park and maybe you miss your husband or something but you can't just lower yourself to sleeping with him."

"Are you-...I don't fuck Mason, Gage. Why would you even think that?!"

"You're giving him all the territory, Kit. Why else would you do that?" He questioned.

"I...it doesn't matter." She looked away.

"I knew it. Girls like you are always easily persuaded." He scoffed.

Kit turned back to him and walked closer, getting into his personal space.

"Are you calling me a slut, Gage?" She asked slowly.

"I didn't call you anything, boss...but if the shoe fits." He stared down at her.

"Fuck you!" Kit shoved him hard.

"Fuck you!" He pushed her back.

They both glared at each other with a burning fire behind there eyes as the silence in the room rang in their ears. The only sound that called out suddenly was the sound of Gage pushing Kit against the terminals along the wall and crashing his mouth against hers. All the tension and anger that had been building up finally exploded.

She moaned into his lips and threw her arms around him as he picked her up and held her against the computers, hands rubbing aggressively over her ass.

"Mmm!" Kit inhaled sharply.

She could feel Gage's erection press into her inner thigh as he ground it against her. It had been a while since she had been touched like this, only now she wanted it.

"Take your shirt off." She said breathlessly in between kisses.

Gage did as she commanded and threw his chest plate to the floor followed by his green tank. When he went back in for a kiss he could feel Kit's hands running over the muscles of his torso and gripping onto his shoulders. He didn't waste anytime pulling at the hem of her soda stained shirt and ripping it off with the nod of her head. He tossed the torn fabric behind him and placed his hand over her bra as he kissed her neck. She made a breathy moan that sent shivers down his spine and he promised himself that he would make her moan like that even more.

He went to work on her jeans and fumbled with the button and zipper before pulling them down to her ankles and sliding them off her feet with her shoes. He looked back up with her for her permission and she nodded and bit her lip as he peeled off the Quantum soaked panties and tossed them behind him. He got on his knees and used his hands to push her legs further apart to get a good look at her. She was already slick and ready when he buried his face in between her legs and lapped at her clit. She gasped and rested her hand on the back of Gage's head while he swirled his tongue over her, groaning softly as he tasted how sweet she was.

"Oh, fuck..." Kit rasped softly.

Gage could tell she was already getting close. He moved his fingers to her clit and rubbed it in tiny circles as she bucked her hips into his palm.

"D-don't stop..." She moaned.

He smiled and looked up at her as she came, studying every muscle in her face that tensed up as she released. It was fucking beautiful.

When she finally came down from her high, Gage took the opportunity to unzip his pants and pull out his member. He positioned himself between her legs and rubbed his tip on her now over-stimulated clit until she let out a horse moan. He chuckled and pushed his cock inside of her, feeling it slide in with ease.

"Oh..." Kit moaned while holding onto his biceps.

Gage took a moment to savor how warm and wet she was before pumping into her, making more curses and moans spill from her lips. He loved knowing that he can make her unravel like this.

"You like the way I fuck you, boss?" He asked while thrusting himself further into her.

"Y-yes! Oh fuck, yes!" She whined delightfully.

"I'm gonna make you come again, boss. And this time I want you to scream my name." He demanded.

She nodded and he rewarded her put rubbing his thumb against her clit while she continued to fuck her. He could feel himself getting close but he pushed down the feeling until she was ready. When she was he could feel her tense up around his cock as she threw her head back and moaned.

"Oh, Porter!" She cried out.

Gage groaned as he felt himself cum and he quickly pulled out and spilled himself onto her stomach.

"Shit..." He breathed out while watching his cum drip down her hip.

"That was amazing." Kit smiled and tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah, it was fuckin' perfect." He agreed.

They came together and kissed one more time, only more gentle and sweetly. When they pulled away Gage pulled his pants back up and gave his shirt to Kit since he ripped hers apart. While she got dressed he watched her and smiled to himself. She looked good in his clothes.

"So, boss...I, uh...I ain't really the type of guy who's good at relationships." He rubbed his neck.

"It's alright, Porter. I'm not going to force you to marry me...besides, I don't think I'm quite ready for any of that right now." She buttoned her pants up.

"Does that mean I can't fuck you anymore? Cause I gotta say, boss, I don't think I can just go back to how things were before."

She smiled and walked over to him, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I don't think I can either." She whispered in his ear.

He grinned and rubbed his hand over her ass while she giggled into his neck. It had been a long time since he had a casual, no-strings-attached relationship like this and that was mostly because they were never good ideas since someone always ended up getting hurt, but as he held Kit in his arms he decided he didn't care.

"Well, boss...how about we go and capture us this park? Then I could take you back home and fuck you on your bed." He smiled.

"Deal." She chuckled.

If pain and heartache were going to come out of this, then so be it.


	9. Filthy Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, I'm updating this today (Monday) instead of tomorrow because December 6th is my wedding anniversary. So, rather than worrying about getting this posted on time I'm just going to update it now so I can spend tomorrow with my husband. Next week it'll be posted on Tuesday like normal and I made this chapter extra long with some smut, drama, and cliffhangers as a thank you so please enjoy! :D ~Love HancockBlocked

The crisp air of a new morning always brought peace to Kit, even before the war. She loved waking up and looking around her bedroom to see the rays of sunlight shine through the linen curtains.

She also loved waking up next to Nate. She could spend hours just staring at him while he slept, memorizing every line and freckle that dotted his face. There was no better feeling in the whole world...but now, she wasn't living in that world. The sun still rose, people still laughed, children still played, but the world was broken. Torn apart by war and glued back together with nothing but scrap. Trees didn't grow, communities barely thrived, and Kit? Well, she was waking up with a new man.

"Mornin' boss...good to see you're finally awake." Gage yawned.

Kit opened her eyes fully and stared back at her new lover. He was naked and under the covers, resting his head on the pillow beside hers.

"Good morning." She smiled.

He moved closer and pulled her into his arms, letting the warmth of his skin touch hers. Before she rested her head onto his chest he pulled her face up to his and kissed her with a gentle passion.

"I think I still might be dreaming." He pulled away from her lips.

She chuckled and pulled him into another long kiss, feeling all the cold air in the room disappear. As Gage ran his hands over her bare back she felt shivers travel down her chest, making her nipples erect. He noticed and pulled the covers down to her navel so he could admire the view of her flushed skin in the sunlight.

"Damn, boss...your a real stunner, you know that?"

She blushed at his compliment and picked up his large hand, placing it over her breast for him. He made a low groan and squeezed lightly while letting his thumb flick over her nipple while using his mouth to tease her other breast.

"That feels so good." Kit hummed.

He smiled against her chest and continued to caress them, slowly moving her over so she was positioned on top of his chest. She chuckled warmly and put her knees on either side of his hips, feeling his cock press against her. He moaned at the sudden contact and moved his hands to Kit's waist, admiring the hourglass curve with his fingers. He shouldn't be this lucky...

"Can I?" She asked while looking down at his cock with a playful grin.

"Shit, you don't gotta ask, baby girl." He smiled.

She took his length in one hand and stood it up as she lowered herself onto it, moving slow to adjust to his size. Gage let out a soft groan and squeezed onto her waist to resist the urge to pump into her. Once she was fully seated on him she rocked his hips against his and let out a soft moan, repeating the motion until she found a good pace.

"Fuck..." Gage exhaled slowly.

"Does this feel good?" Kit asked.

"It feels amazing."

She smiled and went faster, grinding her hips into his and calling out his name until she tensed up and finally came. He followed soon after, sliding her off of his cock and cumming into the blanket. They both lied back onto the bed and tried to catch their breath, covered in sheet of sweat and holding hands.

"You're somethin' else, boss. I could lay here all day if I was next to you." Gage sighed contently.

"Sounds like a date." Kit chuckled.

They kissed one more time and she got up and crawled off the bed to get dressed. Gage watched from a far, looking over her ass while she bent over to put on her jeans.

"How about I go to the market and get some food for us? Then when I get back we can spend all day here?"

"Sounds like a solid plan. You head to the market, I'll meet you there in a few minutes, just gotta clean up this mess."

Kit blew him a kiss and took the elevator down to the ground. She had an extra skip in her step as she strolled over to the market, whistling a tune as she passed the Parlor. She saw a group of three Operators using the cappy statue as target practice and gave them a polite nod and a smile.

"Overboss, makin' trouble?" One of them greeted her.

"Always." She chuckled.

She walked past them and down the road into the market. It was always a busy place with traders, travelers, slaves, and the other raiders in the park. As she walked over to browse what Aaron had for sale she could hear the soft whispers of someone else.

"Psst! Boss.."

She turned her head and noticed Shelbie waving her over while looking nervously around at the other raiders. She sighed and set her things down and walked over to the young woman, curious to see what this was about.

"Is something wrong, Shelbie?" Kit asked.

"Um, hello boss...I-uh, got a message for you, it was delivered yesterday." She said quietly.

"A message? Why didn't you give it to me?"

"I'm sorry, boss I just didn't want to raise attention by leaving my stand. Here." She handed her the folded note.

"Who's it from?" Kit asked.

Shelbie looked around to make sure nobody was listening in and whispered softly, "Preston Garvey."

Kit gasped and stuffed the paper into her shirt before anyone could intercept it. Preston should know better to send a letter to a fucking raider park.

"Thank you...I'll be sure to read it."

She walked away quickly and exited the market, walking over to the front steps of Cola Cars and pulling the note from her bra. She unfolded the paper and read it, being sure to keep an eye out for any watchers.

_"To General Kathleen Dawson,_

_It's almost time to make our move. Reinforcements have arrived and our numbers have increased greatly since your departure. Ronnie and I are waiting for your signal to march on the park and liberate the settlers. With the new land we could make a large outpost there and establish our presence up north._

_I hope you're safe and being taken care of, can't wait to see you soon._

_-Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen"_

Kit tore the paper up into a dozen pieces and scattered them into one of the trashcans nearby. As much as she enjoyed hearing from her best friend, it wasn't the smartest thing to send that information in an unsealed envelope. As she walked back up the path to the market she saw Gage walking over to her with a smile across his face.

"Lookin' good, boss." He commented as he met her by the doors.

"Only for you, Porter." She winked.

It had been so long since she had a casual relationship like this, she didn't even think she remembered how to flirt with a man but with Gage, everything came naturally. She didn't have to try hard to impress him, she just had to be herself...well, as much of herself as she could be.

"Well, well, lookie here...if it isn't my kitten with her favorite little bulldog."

Kit turned around and saw Mason walking over towards them, hand in pocket and red hair glowing in the sunlight.

"What are you doin' out here, Mason?" Gage asked.

"Taking a walk. It's good to get some fresh air, right kitten?" He looked at Kit.

"There's a lovely nest full of deathclaws over by the station...you should check it out, I'm sure there's fresh air over there." Kit glared at him.

"Good one, boss. I like the attitude, very sexy." He reached up and brushed one of her blonde hairs from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Hey! Hands off..." Gage warned.

"What? I'm just admiring the Overboss, Porter...no need to get possesive." He turned his attention back to Kit's hair "...you know, boss I bet you'd look great with a change of color. Maybe pink or green?" He twirled her hair around his finger.

She slapped his hand away and shot him another glare.

"I bet you'd look good with blue hair, kitten. Vault blue. Wouldn't you agree, Gage?" He looked up.

Kit sucked in a breath and bit her tongue. Mason was a son of a bitch, putting her on the spot like that in front of Gage.

"Why don't you get the hell outta here? The Overboss is busy." Porter lashed out.

"Oh, I know she is. Especially if she's going out to Safari Adventure today." Mason smirked.

"What? I'm not going out there today. I'm busy." Kit looked up at his ridiculous painted face.

"Doing what? Playing Whack-a-Commie at the arcade?" He chuckled.

"If you want that territory so bad then why don't you get it yourself?" Gage asked.

"Good question. In fact I was planning on doing just that, I've been meaning to get some action."

"Then it's settled, go secure the park and I'll stay here." Kit agreed.

"Not so fast, boss. I'll happily go take that land but I ain't going alone. Not without my little kitten." He smiled.

"You must be a fuckin' idiot if you think I'm gonna let you take the Overboss into a park alone with a bunch of cages." Gage scoffed.

"You can come too, just the three of us. It'll be a fun little threesome."

Kit shuddered at the thought of Gage and her including Mason in their sex life.

"Alright, fine. Meet us there in an hour." Gage smiled.

"What? No!" Kit turned to him.

"Great. See you there." He turned on his heel and walked back, leaving Kit giving Gage the death glare for agreeing to that.

The last person she wanted to hunt with was Mason, especially when she had a target on her back.

*

The walk to Safari Adventure was filled with Kit's whines and mumbles about having to spend extra time with Mason. She thought about maybe 'accidentally' shooting him in the foot but there was no way he wouldn't retailiate. As her and Gage walked into the park and saw him waiting there with his stupid yellow and pink gun Kit made another groan of protest.

"Overboss, I found some guy in here trying to kill the gatorclaws. He ain't speaking much so I locked him in one of the cages." Mason explained as they walked inside the gate.

"You what? Jesus, you can't just lock up someone!" Kit scoffed.

She pushed past him and walked over to the locked cage behind him and looked at the man inside. He had bushy, thick hair and walked around in a loin cloth with a large piece of ply wood he fashioned into a stick. He seemed startled to see Kit and backed away from the bars of the cage.

"Hello..." Kit said softly.

"You friend?" The man barley spoke proper English.

"Um, sure...we can be friends." She smiled to reassure him.

"Me Cito. Who you?"

"Kit. Pleasure to meet you, Cito." She shook his large hand through the steel bars.

"New friend nice! Cito happy you no lock in cage like bad, colorful man." He looked over to Mason.

Kit looked back at the two men behind her and shot them a look to back off.

"Would you like me to unlock the door, Cito?" She asked.

"Yes." He grunted.

She pulled out a bobby pin from her hair and fussed with the lock for a few seconds, opening it with ease. Cito stepped out and put his weapon down and patted the top of Kit's head as a thank you.

"You good friend. Cito like new friend, maybe she can help Cito?" He asked.

"You need help?"

"Monsters take over home. Family stuck in building. Help Cito get rid of monsters?"

"You have a family? Are they safe?"

"Yes. Family in old building. Come, new friend meet family." He turned and walked down the rocky path and gestured for her to follow.

She turned back at Gage and shrugged before following.

"Kit, you can't be serious..." Gage rolled his eyes.

"Just stay here and kill some of those gatorclaws. I'll be back in a second." She looked back.

"Whatever, boss." He scoffed.

"I'll go with you, wait up." Mason said as he walked over to her.

"Uh, no...you stay here with Gage." She backed away.

"I ain't gonna let that guy take you into some random building alone. God knows what he could do."

"God knows what you could do." She said only loud enough for him to hear.

"He's right, Kit. I'll be out here clearing the perimeter." Gage called to them.

"See? Everything's all peachy, boss." Mason grinned.

They followed Cito to the back side of the park and walked inside of the building near the restrooms. As the door shut behind them it took a moment for Kit's eyes to adjust to the darkness room, only to see Cito standing with a group of gorillas.

"Wow." She sighed.

"Told ya this guy was nuts." Mason whispered to her.

"This family. New friend help Cito family?" Cito asked.

"I guess so...just tell me how I can help."

After nearly ten minutes of Cito trying to explain he gave up and handed her a note with instructions about a cloning machine. She nodded and tucked the note into her pocket and turned to leave with Mason in toe.

"Friend need Cito help?" The ape-like man asked.

"No, stay here. I'll come back when it's all done." Kit instructed.

She walked out of the building and began walking to find Gage. Mason was a few steps behind her, no doubt staring at her ass as she walked.

"So, boss...have you been thinkin' about me?" He asked in a low tone.

"Only in my nightmares." She rolled her eyes.

"That ain't a bad thing." He chuckled.

He slowly walked in front of her and blocked her path from moving forward. She sighed and looked up into the pale green of his eyes and clenched her jaw.

"Move." She demanded.

"I will, just want a minute alone with my kitten." He smiled.

"Gage is somewhere around here, do you really want to risk raping me out in the open?" She hissed.

"No, not today...it's a shame though with all these cages around. It's the perfect place to lock you up fuck you through the bars until you come all over my cock...then I could make you suck off all your pretty little cum while I force it down your throat." He grinned darkly.

"You're sick." Kit's voice shook.

"What'd you expect? I'm a raider. But don't worry, that don't mean I'll always be rough with you. I could be real gentle, boss. I could lick your pussy for hours, swirl my tongue over that nice little ass of yours..." He moved his hand over her hip.

She looked around nervously for Gage and backed into the hedge that covered the walls. Maybe if she screamed for help then Cito would come running...

"Would you like that, boss? My tongue running all over your tight cunt? I bet your cum would be nice and sweet. I could finger your asshole while I eat you out, make you scream my name until you lose your voice. Then you could suck my cock and I could shoot my load down your throat, force you to swallow it all." Mason growled with lust.

He pushed his groin against her hips and she could feel how aroused he was with his words. Every part of her wanted to run into the Cappy maze and hide from him but he legs were frozen in place.

"Answer me when I speak to you." He grabbed a handful of her ass.

"Get off of me. Now...or I'll scream." She warned.

"You don't wanna do that, kitten. Cause then I'll have to have my boys in the Commonwealth grab your little reporter friend and bring her up here for my slave. I bet she'd look good getting fucked in the middle of Nuka-Town. Do you think she'll cry out your name for help? Maybe beg for you to save her...and all you could do is watch while I have my way with her." He smiled.

"You sadistic, cruel fuck!" Kit spat.

"Mmm, I love your dirty talk." He chuckled.

Before Kit could even try to respond she felt Mason's hand around her throat, gripping hard enough to make her gasp. He forced her head forward and pressed his mouth to hers, aggressively driving his tongue with hers. She quickly bit down on the tip and tasted his blood mix with her saliva.

"Ah!" he backed away and spit out the blood onto the pavement "...kitty likes to bite, huh? I'll keep that in mind for later."

"Kit? Are you over there?" Gage's voice called out.

She quickly backed away from Mason and ran over to his voice, leaving him behind to clean up his mess. When she turned the corner and saw him she ran over to him and hugged him, burying her face in his chest and breathing heavily. She wanted so badly to tell him everything and let him kill Mason but it was too late...she couldn't risk hurting Gage by making him fight for her. She had to handle this on her own. 

"What the-? Boss, you okay?" Gage asked while using one arm to hug her back.

Just then, Mason turned the corner and walked over as if nothing had happened, smile on his face and hands on his gun.

"Aw, did that gatorclaw scare you, boss? It's okay, I killed it for you." Mason smirked and patted her back.

"Is that it? You're all worked up over a gatorclaw?" Gage asked her.

She backed away from the safety of his arms and sighed.

"Let's just hurry up and get out of here..." She said quietly.

*

When Kit, Mason, and Gage walked back into Nuka-Town they were all covered in muddy water and sweat from taking down all the gatorclaws in the park, twenty-one in total. Cito was grateful and agreed to share his land with the Pack, so long as they don't cage up him or his family which Mason reluctantly agreed to.

In any event, Kit was finally glad to be going home. All she wanted was a long bath and to fuck Gage and get out all her pent up anger at Mason. When they turned to corner to Fizztop all Kit's hopes of a warm bath disappeared when she saw Nisha, Dixie, and Savoy standing by the elevator looking more pissed than imaginable.

"Fuck." Kit whispered.

"Shh, just stay behind me and Mason." Gage instructed.

They walked up to the three Disciples and Kit obeyed her lovers request and stood a few steps behind Mason, that way if Nisha tried to stab her again she would hit him.

"So, the Overboss and her two little puppies return..." Dixie glared at the trio.

"Yes, and with all the parks under their control. Colter must be pissin' in his grave." Savoy spoke through his spiked mask.

"What do you three want?" Gage asked.

"What we want? We want the Overboss to step up here and tell us why the fuck the last available park went to those fucking animals." Nisha's voice dripped with disdain.

"The Disciples got that fancy mansion out in the boondocks. Why are you complaining?" Mason stepped forward.

"I wasn't talking to you, you filthy excuse for a man." Nisha quipped.

"You wanna say that again? Give me a reason to cut you down where your standing."

"Alright, everyone calm down. Mason, go back to the Pack and tell your guys they can move into Safari Adventure." Gage looked over at him.

He grunted and backed away, leaving the group and walking back to his territory alone. As much as Kit liked seeing him leave, she wished he was still there to be her human sheild against Nisha.

"Tell us, boss...what did that little punk have to do to get you hand over all the parks?" Savoy asked.

"Look, I understand why you're upset but-" Kit began.

"Upset? We aren't upset, Overboss. We're done. Done with all your shit." Nisha said.

"That's right. You gave one park the Operators and all the others to the Pack. It ain't fair and you know it." Dixie crossed her arms.

"Now ain't the time to be confronting us like this. Look, let me and the Overboss talk it over and we maybe we could convince Mason to give up the Galactic Zone for you ladies. That seem fair?" Gage tried to moderate.

"Not. Good. Enough." Nisha spoke calmly.

With that, all three of them turned around and walked back up the street to their territory. Kit and Gage looked at one another with catious expressions...this wasn't going to end well.

*

After things had settled down, Kit and Gage went upstairs to their room to clean up. As Kit put on clean clothes she looked over to Porter and watched him clean himself up with a wet rag. She had to admit, seeing the soapy water drip from his pecs to his navel turned her on in ways she couldn't even describe.

"You look good, Gage." She smiled from the bed.

"Not as good as you, baby girl." He chuckled.

He put on some underwear and crawled into bed with her, giving her a sweet kiss before laying back and holding her as they looked out the window.

"I gotta hand it to you, boss. You've really stepped up and made shit happen. I mean I didn't think I'd ever see the day where all the parks were under our control." He sighed contently.

"Thanks. I'm glad it's all over. Maybe now I can catch my breath." She chuckled.

"Well, I mean for now but our work is just beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"Now that we got the park, we're becoming a real threat out there. I think it's time we go into phase two of our plans."

"Phase two?" Kit asked.

"Yep. It's time we take the Commonwealth."

"W-what? Why? We have everything we need right here." She sat up.

"Now you're starting to sound like Colter. Look, we're raiders, boss. We raid...and it's time to claim ourselves some new territory out in the Commonwealth." He explained.

"I...I don't know. I mean those people out there are innocent, we can't take their land."

"Nobody is innocent, Kit. Now, come on...just relax and get a good nights rest. Tomorrow we'll take to Shank and see when we can start."

She reluctantly lied back into the bed and let Gage snuggle her again while he slowly fell asleep. As she stared out of the window she sighed and thought about the plan her and Preston cooked up to free the settlers here...now it seemed impossible.


	10. Bad Blood

Nausea and anxiety took over Kit's body as she sat in the train that carried her back to the Commonwealth.

Gage sat beside her, not knowing of her true feelings on the matter. He was just excited to finally make a name for the gangs, to make Kit known throughout the wastes as a bad ass raider boss. Little did he know she was already known throughout the Commonwealth...not as Overboss, but as General. Now, there she was on a train full of Operators ready to take over a helpless settlement.

The Slog...one of the settlements that she and Preston helped. She was friends with those ghouls, they no doubt would recognize her...and if that happened...all hell would break loose.

"Boss, you okay? You ain't lookin' so good." An Operator noticed her pale face.

"Um, yeah...just a little motion sickness. I hate trains." She tried to chuckle but it came out as a pathetic whine.

Gage wrapped a sympathetic arm over her shoulder and caressed the bare skin on her bicep. There were a few odd glances from the Operators but given that their two leaders were siblings/lovers it wasn't all that weird to see the Overboss and Gage getting on friendly terms. Besides, the Operators were known for their discretion.

When the train finally stopped and lurched forward Kit felt herself unravel. This was her home...her fucked up, ruined post-apocalyptic home. How could she just let raiders in it? Even if she and Preston were going to wipe them out, it was going to be much harder to do it now.

 

Nobody really talked as they walked to The Slog. It took a few hours, occasionally everyone would stop for a break, but by sunset it was time. They could see the old pool from the hill they stood at and all the unsuspecting ghouls just trying to make a living.

"Alright, boss...I see like seven of them now. They ain't gonna suspect anything until it's too late. You ready to move in?" An Operator asked.

"Yes. Just remember the game-plan. Let me talk to the settlement leader. I want no gunfire and no violence. Let's make this clean and quick." Kit instructed.

Everyone, including Gage seemed disappointed that they weren't going to get to kill anyone but they weren't dumb enough to disobey her. They all marched over to the entrance and Kit walked out in front of them. Wiseman, the leader, recognized her right away and gave her a warm smile. It quickly faded when he noticed the men standing behind her.

"W-what's going on here?" The ghoul asked.

Kit closed her eyes for a brief moment and swallowed down her mercy. Now wasn't the time to be soft.

"You. You're going to hand over this land to me and my friends here...or else." She tried her best to sound intimidating.

"What? Is this some kinda joke?" Wiseman scoffed.

"I'm not going to repeat myself...leave. Now!" She shouted, gathering the attention of the other settlers.

"Y-you can't do that! This is our home! I ain't gonna let you walk in here and take it."

Before Kit could comprehend what was happening she heard a gunshot ring out. Gage quickly grabbed her arm and pushed her to the floor, making her cover herself with her arms over her head. She took a glance up and saw the Operators killing everyone...slowly and painfully. Through the fire she could hear Holly scream for help and another ghoul pray for mercy. Kit felt tears cloud her eyes as the gunfire suddenly stopped and Gage helped her stand up.

"Overboss, here...I saved you the last one." An Operator grinned while holding out a female ghoul.

"N-no, please!" She cried.

Kit froze and looked at Gage. He seemed just as intrigued as the Operators were.

"Go on, boss. Show us what you've got." Gage gestured.

"She's harmless, let's just let her go." Kit negotiated.

"Ah, come on! Kill her, boss!" Another Operator spoke. They all seemed so thrilled. 

Kit walked over to the sobbing ghoul and stood in front of her. She trembled before her, pleading for her life and promising not to tell. It made Kit feel sick.

"Do it already, boss!" An annoyed Operator called out. 

Kit pulled out her knife and felt it shake in her hands. She thought about taking a swipe at the Operators, but not with Gage there.

"No! Please! I won't tell anyone, I-I'll just leave!" The ghoul begged.

"I...I'm so sorry." Kit whispered.

She quickly plunged the knife deep into the ghouls sternum, breaking through her rib cage and landing the blow into her heart. The ghoul let out one last scream before it faded to soft, raspy breaths. Blood seeped out from the wound, covering Kit's hands and staining her shirt. Her face was frozen in pain and betrayal when she finally passed.

"Go and set up the flag. I need to clean up." Kit spoke softly.

The other Operators obeyed and got the supplies ready while she walked down the river across the hill and sat on a rock. The feeling in her heart was hard to describe...an overwhelming sense of doom and numbness. Regret. Shame. Adrenaline.

She leaned down and dipped her hands into the water and watched the blood slowly rinse off and mix with the river. She felt tears steaming down her face but she didn't even realize they were coming from her eyes. Total numbness took over.

"Kit? You okay?" Gage asked from behind her.

"No." She whispered softly, only so she could hear.

He walked closer and leaned down beside her, studying her face for an answer.

"You're crying." He sighed.

She stared down at her hands and still saw blood covering them, even though they were clean just a moment ago.

"Hey, hey! Kit, look a me." He grabbed her chin and angled it towards him. "What's wrong?"

"I killed her." She cried softly.

"Well, yeah...ain't that the whole point?" He asked.

"She just wanted to live...I could have let her go."

"Kit...I don't...holy shit," he sighed "...was that you're first time?"

Kit nodded, stifling back a cry. Gage sat beside her and pulled her into a hug. Now he felt like a total ass.

"Look, the first time is always a little traumatic. It gets easier, I promise."

"I don't want to hurt innocent people, Porter."

"None of us do. Okay, maybe a few of us but we do it for survival. Look those ghouls fired the first shots, it ain't our fault they died cause of it."

"That doesn't make it okay! Jesus, I feel sick."

Gage took a step back from her and looked at the dull hue of her skin. 

"You gonna throw up, boss?"

Kit nodded quickly as she felt her stomach turn.

"Here, stand up." Gage helped her.

He walked her further away from the view of the Operators and held back her hair back with his fist while she emptied her stomach all over the side of a rock.

"Sorry." Kit gasped for air after gagging.

"You throwin' up in front of me ain't nothing compared to what Colter made me witness." He chuckled and patted her back.

"Am I ever going to be okay again?" Kit sighed.

"Yeah, eventually. I ain't gonna lie...you're going to feel like shit for a long time. Nightmares, flashbacks, hallucinations...but aside from that, it's horrible." He crossed his arms.

"How long after your first did you feel human again?"

"Few weeks...maybe a month. Then it just becomes normal. Look, you're showing remorse...that's good. It means you aren't a fuckin' psychopath like the Disciples."

"I'd rather this never happened." She sighed.

"Well, it did. And I'm sorry, Kit. If I had known you hadn't killed anyone before I wouldn't have let you." Gage put his arm over her.

She leaned in to him and took another breath. It felt like her head wasn't attached to her body, like she was dreaming. It all just happened so fast...her eyes...her begging...

"Porter, could you hold my hair back again?" She asked.

"Sure. Vomit to your hearts content."

*

"Are you sure we got time for this, boss?" Gage grunted while walking past the abandoned Red Rocket.

"Yes. I just need to check on a few things, alright? Just stand next to me and look pretty." Kit smiled softly.

"Fine. Just don't expect me to be all behaved and shit."

The two of them crossed the bridge into Sanctuary as the sun was setting. It wasn't apart of the original plan but now that Kit had...well, she just need to see her friends and try to get all that shit off her mind. As long as Gage just stayed by her side and nobody called her General then he wouldn't pick up on anything.

"Kit?...Oh my god, Kit!" Piper exclaimed.

Kit felt her heart drop at the sight of her friend. After all of Mason's threats it was good to see her alive and well. She ran ahead of Gage and threw herself into her arms and hugged her tight, fearing that she may not be real.

"Piper, holy shit! You're here! I was so worried!" Kit cried.

"You were worried? Blue, _I_   was worried!" She hugged back.

Gage walked up beside them and Kit stopped hugging her. She couldn't mention Mason or anything with him standing right there.

"Have you seen Preston?" She asked instead.

"Yeah, he's been doing rounds. He'll be happy to see you." Piper smiled.

"Great...um, Piper, this is Gage...he's my friend."

She looked over to him. Gage gave her a polite nod and she waved. Piper wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what he was.

"Nice to meet you." She said calmly.

Kit looked further down the old road she used to call home and saw another friendly face. She nearly fainted with joy.

"Hancock!" She called to him.

He looked over to her and walked over, cigarette in hand.

"Look who it is...how's my favorite girl?" He hummed.

She went over and hugged him. It felt like years since she had seen him.

"John, this is Gage." She looked over to her raider boyfriend.

Again, Porter just nodded. He wasn't the type to get all friendly with a bunch of strangers. The only reason he agreed to stop here was so Kit could get her mind off of killing that ghoul.

"That's a nice rifle you got there," Hancock looked at his weapon "...automatic?"

"Nah...I don't need that kinda shit. Just need a handful of bullets." Gage responded.

"My kinda guy." Hancock chuckled dryly.

Kit smiled at her friends and let her hand rest on Gage's shoulder. Hancock and Piper both noticed the affectionate touch and gave one another the side eye. Kit wasn't good at hiding shit like this.

"Oh, Kit! There's Preston." Piper pointed down the road to where he stood.

Kit nodded and looked back at Porter who was giving her a curious look.

"Gimme a minute?" She asked.

"Sure. I'll be here."

Kit let go of his arm and walked over, noticing the darkness of the night shadow the settlement.

"Preston!" She called after him.

He turned around, dark skin glowing against the Commonwealth moonlight. He looked different, not physically...but emotionally, like he was fighting an internal war with himself.

"Hello, Kit." He sighed heavily.

"I've been looking for you. Aren't you happy to see me?" She smiled gently.

"No. I'm not."

"W-what?" Her smiled faded.

"You crossed a line, General. There are some things that I can't forgive." His voice trembled.

"What are you talking about, Pres?" She walked closer to him.

"I thought I knew you...I trusted you. And then you joined up with the scum of the Commonwealth." He looked up in Gage's direction.

"Preston, I'm just pretending! This was all part of the plan! We're gonna take over the park and free those settlers, remember?" She breathed out.

"You aren't pretending anymore, Kit. You're one of them, participating in what they do."

"I...I was just-"

"Just what? Under pressure from your new friends? You're new boy toy? Yeah, I saw the way you just looked at him...you're in love. I can see it clear as day."

"What? No, you've got it all wrong..." She tried to defend herself.

"Don't lie to me, Kit! I sent you out there to help those people that were enslaved, I never meant for you to go be their new boss." He scoffed.

"Preston, I-"

"No. Don't try to talk your way out of this! I know what you've done...you took over our own settlement, killed an innocent person...our person. Someone we swore to protect! I don't even know who you are anymore!" He shouted.

Kit stayed silent as a tear rolled down her cheek. She had no idea that he would find out, especially not a few hours since it happened.

"I didn't want to...I swear." She cried.

"Save it." He scoffed.

He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head.

"I loved you, Kit...I was going to ask you to be my wife. I even saved up all my caps and bought you a ring." The anger in his voice was replaced with sadness.

He pulled out a small box and opened it, showing her the small wedding band that was inside of it. There was a tiny blue gem on the top that sparkled against the night air. Kit looked at it for a few seconds in awe and looked back up to her best friends face, seeing how broken it was. He closed the box and put it back into his coat before sighing and gripping back onto his laser musket.

"Why didn't you say something?" Kit said softly.

"I was going to...I wanted to propose to you when your mission was completed. I was going to take you to Diamond City and go out to dinner, maybe get Travis to play your favorite song on the radio and slow dance with you by the Wall...then get down on one knee and ask you to spend the rest of your life by my side...but now I know what a fool I was. While I've been here taking over in your absence, running our settlements, training our men...you were off with _him._ " He snarled.

"Preston, please...there has to be something I can do to make this right." Kit cried.

"There's nothing you can do. What's done is done...I could never love a raider."

"I-I'm not a raider." She shook her head.

"You are _the_ raider. The boss, the one calling the shots...you're the worst out of all of them." He glared daggers at her. 

"Pres..." She begged.

"Don't. This is it, Kathleen. I don't ever want to hear from you again, do you understand? I'm taking over as General and every single minuteman has strict orders to shoot you and your friends on sight...and that includes me. If I ever see you again after this I won't hesitate to kill you."

"But you're my friend...my family." She held back more tears.

"You got a new family. And there's no room for me."

He turned on his heel and Kit felt her heart crack. Never in a million years would she think he would leave her.

"Preston...I can't lose you. I love you." She said softly.

"Not as much as you love him." His words were cold...and also true. 

He walked away from her, leaving the conversation unfinished.

Kit stared at his back until he blended in with the night and disappeared down the road. The cold sting of the air made her freeze in place.

"M'am?" A Minuteman spoke to her.

She looked up at the new face and wiped the tear running down her cheek.

"I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to ask you and your friend over there to leave. General's orders." The man spoke.

Kit scoffed and looked back in the direction where Preston left. This was her home way before it was anyone elses. All her friends were here...her husband was buried here. This was her whole life.

"Fine. I'll go." She said quietly.

She turned and walked back up the path and saw Gage standing alone by the bridge waiting for her. He smiled when he glanced at her, giving her a small wink.

She gave him a half-hearted smile and looked over her shoulder at the lights and sounds of her home. Maybe it wasn't her whole life anymore...maybe now her real life was actually beginning. 


	11. Fucking Liar

Raiders are two things: ruthless and bloodthirsty.

A good raider is strong and bad ass, they take no shit and they always get paid.

Raiders aren't romantic.

They don't kiss or snuggle, they sure as hell don't date or fall in love. Sure, they fuck...they're still humans with needs. But no love. That's rule number one. Love was to be avoided at all costs or you'll end up dead.

Gage knew that, he lived by that...until now.

It didn't take long at all for him to notice Kit acting differently once they got back to Nuka-Town. She cried to herself, lost all the color in the face, and she stopped speaking. Part of him thought it was because of what happened at The Slog with that ghoul but it wasn't guilt that Kit was showing in her eyes. It was heartbreak.

He knew because he had been through it many times before. The silent sobs in the night, the lack of interest in food or sex...she was fucking miserable. The only problem was that he didn't know why.

"Come on, kid. Let's take a walk." He wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

"I'm kind of tired, Porter. Maybe later?" She shrugged him off.

Damn. Her rejection stung. But he wasn't one to take no for an answer.

"I'll make it quick, boss. Just follow me."

They walked in silence outside of the park. She walked a few paces behind him, dragging her feet and mumbling under her breath.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Hold on, it's a surprise."

He led her over to Kiddie Kingdom and held onto her arm as he guided her through the old buildings and defenses that the Pack had set up. It was late at night, the only lights were from candles that were strategically placed up the old pathway of the park.

"Alright...close your eyes."

"Porter." She groaned.

"Kit." He mimicked her.

She rolled her eyes before closing them, lashes laying perfectly on her face. It made his chest tighten. He took her hand and carefully walked her over to the Ferris wheel, making sure not to accidentally trip.

"Okay...you can open 'em." He instructed.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped softly, looking at the display that was in front of her.

Old Christmas lights were hanging over the railing and blinking in the darkness while candles were lit to create a path to an open carousel. There was an old radio on the floor that was playing the classical music station and across from that was a bottle of wine sitting in a bucket of ice.

"Surprise." Gage chucked.

Kit's eyes lit up in awe as she looked over the lights. A soft smile pulled at the edges of her mouth, creating a small dimple on her cheek.

"Porter...it's beautiful. Did you do all this?"

"Well, I might have had some help from Fritsch...but yeah."

"Wow...for me?" She asked.

"No, for Shank. Pfft, course it's for you, Kit!" He smiled.

She snickered and bit her lip in a way that drove him crazy.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Come on, princess."

He took her hand and walked into the open carousel and sat with her. He had a small button in his pocket and pressed it, activating the ride and feeling it slowly go upwards.

"Holy shit, you fixed it?" Kit asked.

"Well, that was mostly Fritsch but I helped." He put his arm around her.

As they floated up to the skyline they could see all of Nuka-World in the distance. Though it was dark, the outlines of each park cast a shadow over the horizon, making it feel like they were in their own private world.

"This view is amazing." Kit said softly.

Gage kept his eyes glued on her and smiled. "I agree."

She blushed and looked at him, eyes looking grateful rather than sad for once. She leaned in close to him and pulled him into a kiss, letting her hand rest on his jaw and feel the scruff of his shadow. He moved his hand to her waist and closed his eyes, enjoying the romance of the moment.

When she pulled away from him all he could do was stare down at her lips, imaging how they might feel pressed against his most sensitive areas.

"Why did you do this for me, Gage?" She asked quietly.

"Well, cause I wanted to talk." He rested his hand over her thigh.

"Talk?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah. Talk."

"Alright, Porter. Talk." She smiled.

"Well, shit...I'm not sure where to start. I guess I wanna let you know that I know things have been tough for you lately since we left the Slog."

"I don't wanna think about that." Kit sighed.

"Just here me out, boss...I promise I'll be quick."

She nodded.

"Okay, so...I'm a raider and you're a raider, kind of...we've taken over Nuka-World, we're branching out in the Commonwealth, I-uh, I don't know...shit, I'm proud of you, I guess." He tried to explain.

"I have a feeling you didn't do all of this just to say thank you." She guessed.

"I'm getting to it," he cleared his throat "...look, boss...I ain't that great. I've killed people and stolen things, shit, I'm like twice your age..." He chuckled nervously.

"What are you trying to say, Porter?" Kit asked.

"I'm no good at shit like this...but I...I fuckin' like you, alright? You're...you're great. Beautiful. I guess I'm just wondering if maybe...you feel the same about me." He sighed.

"We've have sex, Porter. I wouldn't do that if I didn't like you." She chuckled. 

"Yeah, I know that but...I don't mean physically. I like you...differently, like your spirit or some shit. Like you're my other half, I don't know..." He struggled to talk about his feelings. 

Kit stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. Of course she felt the same...but she wasn't proud of that. She shouldn't love a raider...she should have given her love to Preston. He deserved it. And she broke his fucking heart. How was she supposed to live with herself after that?

"Shit, you aren't saying anything." Gage exhaled slowly.

"No, Porter...I'm just thinking. Look, I like you a lot. You're smart and funny and you take good care of me..."

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming."

_"But I could never love a raider..."_ Preston's words rang in her head.

"But I'm a fraud." She said softly.

"What? Kit, you aren't a fraud." He sat up.

He had no idea just how much she was one. He had no idea who she really was, where she came from...she's was a liar. Even worse than Deacon.

"I am." She shook her head. 

"I know you, boss. You aren't a fraud." 

"I...I can't lie to you anymore." She sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not who you think I am."

She didn't even know what to say. She's a Minuteman...ex Minuteman? She's from the past and has a son who died as an old man? She didn't accidentally fall into the Gauntlet, she went in on her own to wipe out all the raiders? She couldn't even remember all the lies she's said since coming here.

"Kit, what's going on?" He asked cautiously.

"I...I'm not-"

"Boss? Gage? You up there?" A voice called up to them.

Gage looked over the edge of the ride and saw Shank standing there with a frantic expression.

"We're a little busy here." He shouted down.

"This is important." Shank announced.

"Shit...boss, what do you wanna do? If you want me to kill him I will." Gage joked.

"No, let's hear him out." Kit calmed him down.

"Fine. What is it Shank?" Gage yelled.

"It's the Disciples...they've turned on us."

*

"Alright, alright! Slow down!" Gage talked over everyone.

"I saw this coming...of course Nisha would pull some shit like this!" William growled.

"Please, we all saw this coming. We should'a killed that bitch a long time ago." Mason scoffed.

"Both of you, shut up." Mags huffed.

"Someone please tell me what's going on!" Kit shouted.

Everyone looked over to her and back at Mason to explain. It only made sense since he held the most territory.

"While you were in the Commonwealth word came back that you didn't give the Disciples any territory. Surprise, surprise, Nisha didn't like that. She rounded up all her best girls and stormed into the power plant. Now, they're holding it hostage." Mason explained.

"Fuck." Kit gritted her teeth. This was the last thing she needed.

"Listen, boss, you have our backs and we have yours. Whatever you want to do we support it fully. But you have to promise us that Nisha will pay. I want that bitch dead." Mags still somehow sounded sultry even when enraged.

"Now, hold on. I lost five good men trying to stop that lunatic. I wanna be the one to kill her." Mason crossed his arms.

"Fuck that. She tried to swipe at Mags. I want to kill her!" William protested.

"Oh, please. I'm the one who brought her in here and made sure her and her gang were taken care of. If anyone gets to kill her it's me." Gage stepped in.

"Well, Overboss...what do you want to do?" Mags asked.

Everyone looked at her with begging eyes, hoping she would pick them to give Nisha her final fight. As Kit thought for a moment she came to a conclusion.

"I'll do it." She said.

"What?" Mags scoffed.

"Uh, yeah boss...no offense but you're still kinda new to this. Plus the last time Nisha and you got in a fight she nearly shish-kebabed Gage." William chimed in.

"He's right. Nisha ain't a beginner. She knows how to handle herself in a fight." Mason nodded. 

"I hate to agree, Kit, but they're right. Besides, you're still going through stuff, remember?" Gage whispered.

"No, I want to do it. I'm the Overboss, I'm the reason she's pissed...I should be the one to kill her!"

Everyone exchanged glances with each other before Gage finally shrugged.

"Alright...you're the boss." He sighed.

They all marched up the hill to the plant with guns in hand, Kit leading the charge. Behind them were Operators and Pack ready to for a fight.

"Nisha's probably on the roof with her best people. We're gonna have to fight our way through her minions to get to her." Mags surveyed the exterior of the plant.

"Those girls are loyal to her. They ain't going down without a fight." Gage commented.

As they all turned the corner to the entrance four Disciples were waiting for them with rifles in hand. They immediately shot at them while Mason and William fired back with deadly accuracy. They dropped like flies, blood seeping out and mixing with the dirt underneath them.

"Let's go." Mason said, opening the front door.

"Holy shit." Kit sighed when she looked at the pre-war building. It was huge. Staircases led all the way up, twisting and overlapping each other. It looked like a puzzle that she used to do with her sisters growing up.

"Mags, William, take the east stairwell. Mason, grab some of your guys and go up the west. Me and Gage will go North. We all meet at the roof and nobody touches Nisha until I'm there, got it?" Kit instructed.

"Understood, boss." William nodded.

Kit looked at Mason and studied that hesitation in his face. "Mason." She warned.

"Fuck. Fine, but if I get there first I'm gonna rough her up." He sighed.

"Good."

Everyone split up and Gage watched from every side as they made their way up the stairs, occasionally stopping to hunt down a Disciple, but he never looked away from Kit for too long. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt. As they got closer to the roof there was silence, in the distance they could hear Mags and William fighting off Nisha's girls. 

"So, boss...what were you tryin' to tell me on the Ferris wheel?" Gage asked as they marched upstairs.

"Jesus, Porter! Now, isn't the time." She hissed.

"Isn't it? I mean, we could die for all we know. Ain't it best to get all our shit out on the table?"

"I don't want to talk now, Gage!"

"Bullshit! You wanted to talk earlier, why not now?"

"Because we're being shot at now!"

"Kit..." He stopped her from walking "...tell me." 

She sighed heavily and dropped her weapon. There was no use hiding anymore...she had nothing else to lose. And if she were going to her grave, she may as well die with a clear conscious. 

"I'm a Minuteman." She said, voice slightly shaky.

"What? You mean one of those old-fashion soldiers? Who gives a shit?" 

"Because I'm their leader...was their leader. I was sent to Nuka-World to kill all of you." 

Gage took a step back on the stairs and looked away, eyes full of confusion and betrayal. 

"Fuck." He sighed. 

"I-I'm sorry." 

"Jesus...you've been playing us this whole fuckin' time!" 

Kit stayed quiet. Her fingers trembled against her armor as she looked at Gage pace around trying to gather his thoughts. 

"I can't believe this..." He chuckled in disbelief. 

"Look, I'm sorry...I'm not a with them anymore...they kicked me out once I killed that ghoul." She explained. 

"That guy...that guy you talked to at that settlement," he remembered "...when were you gonna tell me?" 

"I don't know. I wanted to...I was just scared." She sighed. 

"Do you even give a shit about me...about us?" He looked back to her. 

"Yes...I do. I love you, alright? And it's fucking killing me." 

"It's killing you? What the fuck does that mean?" 

"It means that I love you, Porter...but I hate you, I hate who you are! I hate that I'm turning into you!" Kit shouted. 

"Hey, I didn't force you to do that! I'm a raider, Kit, you should've known what you were getting yourself into!" 

"Well, I didn't!" She screamed "I didn't, and now I'm fucking in love with you!" 

Gage scoffed and rubbed his head. All he ever wanted was her love...but not like this. He looked back up at her teary eyes and sighed. He was an idiot for believing her. 

"So, what now? Are you gonna have me killed like you did with Colter?" She asked quietly. 

"No." He exhaled slowly. 

"No?" 

"No...I guess it means somethin' that you're still here. You didn't sell us out or try to kill us." He rationalized. 

"So?" 

"So, you're still the Overboss. And you still have Nisha to deal with...but let me make one fuckin' thing clear, Kit...you and me? We're done." He said sternly. 

She nodded softly as a tear rolled down her cheek. She knew she had no right to ask him to forgive her...she didn't even know if she could forgive herself. 

"Now, move. It's time to put an end to the Disciples." 

 

 

 

 


	12. Alpha vs Alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading today because tomorrow I'm going to be at my mom's house to celebrate Christmas with her. I hope all my lovely readers had a good holiday and I love you all! *kissy face*

_"...you see the Overboss, you get down on your freakin' knees and thank her! Without her, we'd be screwed!"_

RedEyes' voice filtered through the static of the radio in Kit's room, blending in with the ambiance of dolefulness that weighed heavy in the air. It had been two days since the Disciples took over the power plant. Two days since Nisha died.

Kit didn't even mind killing her, it was like Gage said back at the Slog. It gets easier. She hardly batted an eye when she dug her knife into Nisha, in fact she felt like yawning. It was bittersweet...should she be happy that murdering doesn't bother her as much or should she be tormented by that?

Either way, Kit felt numb.

Not too long ago she had everything: a home, a family, a bright future with her husband and child...now there was nothing. Sure, she had coped with the loss of her old life, she adjusted and moved forward, she even fell in love again. But now that was all hopeless. Gage hadn't spoken to her since they turned on Nuka World's power. He moved out of Fizztop and into the Disciples old territory with Shank. Now, Kit was left in an empty bed with nobody looking out for her.

"Hey, boss?" A voice startled her.

She gasped and sat up in her bed. She was so lost in thought she hadn't realized the elevator went off. There was a member of the Pack standing in her view, awkwardly looking around the room in awe.

"What?" She sounded more angry than intended.

"Uh, sorry. Mason wanted me to come and get you. He said he got a surprise for you." The raider spoke.

Kit rolled her eyes. It was a never ending cycle of bullshit.

"Tell him I don't like surprises." She scoffed.

"Look, boss, I don't wanna beg or nothin' but Mason told me if I can't get you over to him then I'll have to sleep in the cages tonight."

"Fuck me." She hissed under her breath.

She ripped the covers off of her and grabbed her shoes. Only Mason would threaten an innocent person for something so stupid. He knew exactly how to play her.

"I'll be down there in a second."

The raider nodded and left, she followed a minute after. Her mind tried to think of all the possibilities that Mason could have in store for her but none of them gave her comfort. She only wished she could have Gage by her side to protect her.

When she walked into the Pack territory she headed straight for the backstage area where Mason's room was. He usually had an armed guard outside, at least that could give her some peace of mind if he tried anything stupid.

"Knock, knock." She said aloud at the open door.

She saw Mason fiddling with a pistol in his hands while he sat on a chair in the middle of the room. The small gun looked ridiculous in his oversized, muscular hands. Hell, his arms were so big that he could probably kill her with one punch.

"Kitten. Come in." He looked up to greet her.

His room wasn't quite as she would imagine. Clean and organized, bed made and trash cleared out. It was as impressive as it was out of character.

"I got you a surprise." He stood up from his seat, setting the gun down on it.

"Whatever it is, I don't want it."

"Come on, boss. You'll like it, I swear."

Kit huffed and walked further into the room, stopping a few feet from him. He towered over her by a lot, making her feel weak and vulnerable.

"Good girl. Now, close your eyes and hold out your hands." He smirked.

"What?"

"Just do it."

She groaned softly and did as he said, gently holding her hands out and closing her eyes. After a few seconds she felt the weight of something soft and furry fall into her palms. She peeked open her eyes slowly and saw a kitten, very small and young, curled up in her hands.

"A cat?" She looked up at Mason with confusion written on her face.

"Yep. A kitten for my kitten." He moved closer to her, practically breathing down her neck.

She looked down at the small animal and studied it. Soft orange fur, tiny paws, thin whiskers. It was probably less than a week old. It slept in a little ball, nuzzling its head into her fingers.

"Boy or girl?" She asked softly.

"Boy, I think. I ain't too sure to be honest." Mason used his thumb to rub its ear.

"Why are you giving him to me?" Kit asked.

"Why not? You're my kitten and I think you deserve something nice. Plus, I hear you've been moping around Fizztop, lookin' all lonely." He explained.

"I'm not lonely."

"Enough bullshit. I know your Minutemen friends threw you out or whatever, my guys up in your settlement told me. I also know that Gage isn't hanging around you much either."

Kit sighed quietly and held the cat closer to her chest, watching as it shifted and relaxed against her. She wasn't surprised that Mason was keeping tabs on her, it was just irritating that he openly admitted it.

"So, boss...what are you gonna name him?" Mason asked.

He used a finger to brush away a strand of hair that fell from her ponytail, tucking it behind her ear. She felt her spine tingle at the sensation.

"I-I don't know." She forgot his question.

"I'm sure you'll think of something nice. Here, a bed for him and some food. I'll get one of my guys to bring it to Fizztop." He backed away from her.

She sighed in relief at the space between them and nodded, finally coming back to reality.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Mason walked back towards her, slight smirk peppering his face. Kit knew that look too well, it meant something bad was about to happen to her.

"Maybe you can thank me in some other way?"

"I...um, what did you have in mind?" She felt her heart quicken in fear.

"Nothing crazy, boss, I promise. I did something nice for you, now I want you to do something nice for me."

"I don't like where this is going." She exhaled slowly and clung onto the small kitten in her hands.

Mason stood over her with a grin on his face, control in his eyes. He relished in seeing Kit so scared of him.

"Kiss me." He whispered into her ear.

"W-what?"

"I want you to kiss me. No teeth, no tongue. Just us, mouth to mouth."

"I..." Kit began.

"Shh."

Mason put his hand behind her head and pulled himself closer to her, feeling the small cat in between their chests. He looked down into the emerald hue of her eyes, trying to study every line and shade of her iris. He waited a few seconds before he dipped his head down and kissed her.

Her lips were soft, silky and feather like...also warm. Their lips meshed together in a way that sent chills down his back, making him slightly tremble to her touch. It was powerful. Intoxicating. It made his knees feel weak.

As he kissed her quietly and with incredible restraint he looked up at the doorway to his room and locked eyes with Gage.

He smiled against Kit's mouth as he let his hand drop down to the small of her back, possessively claiming her. He could see the rage bubbling in Gage's face. It was delicious.

Gage balled up his fists and walked away, fuming and cursing under his breath. Mason watched, pleased that he could provoke such a reaction from his rival. After he was out of sight he slowly pulled himself away from Kit's mouth, looking down to meet her eyes again.

"That was nice, kitten. Thank you." He smiled.

"Um...sure. I-I should go now." She took a step back from his chest.

Mason nodded and watched her leave, cat in her arms. He chuckled to himself once she left and sat back down in his chair, fidgeting with his pistol again.

_Won't be long now..._


	13. Too Good

The amphitheater was especially loud when Gage walked through the gates.

The Pack huddled around the fighting arena where two mole rats attacked each other, everyone screaming and placing bets on which would win. Fucking animals...all of them. 

He pushed past the group of savages and into the backstage area. He could feel his rage bubble up in his chest as he walked over to Mason's room where only a few hours ago he saw him kissing Kit. The memory replayed in his mind like a broken record. Watching Mason's hand slide down her back as he kissed her, eyes looking up to his with a smug confidence. He wanted to beat the shit out of him.

When his eyes finally rested on the face-painted freak sitting in his throne he walked over with balled up fists and kicked the side of the chair, forcing the alpha to look up at him. 

"Porter. Was wondering when you were gonna show up." Mason smirked.

"Shut the fuck up. You wanna explain to me why your hands were all over the Overboss?"

Mason smiled and stood up, eyes locking with Gage once again, still full of pompous self-righteousness. "Ain't my fault who the Overboss wants to spend time with. Just cause it ain't you don't mean you gotta get all upset."

"Bullshit. Kit wouldn't do shit with you!" He shouted.

"You jealous, Gage?" He had a sly grin on his face.

"What the fuck is your game? You don't take girls for over a night so why the fuck are you messin' with her?"

Again, Mason smirked. He let out a slow chuckle and crossed his arms, relishing in Gage's anger. 

"What can I say? The heart wants what it wants. And mine wants the Overboss."

"Give me a break." Gage scoffed "...you don't love her, you're obsessed with her!"

"Doesn't matter...she's mine now. And I ain't gonna toss her aside like you did."

Gage scoffed and broke the eye contact. His biggest fear was that maybe Kit would want someone like him. He couldn't blame her...he hadn't even spoken to her since Nisha died. He had gone out of his way to ignore her and stay out of her way...but it was only because he was hurt. The last thing he wanted was to push her into Mason's arms.

"I ain't gonna let you ruin her. She's too fuckin' good for you and you know it." He looked back up at Mason.

"She's too good for all of us. But guess what? It don't matter because she chose us...at least now that her little Minutemen friends kicked her to the curb." He smiled.

"You knew about that?" Gage took a step back.

"Course I did. What, you think I'm just gonna let you pick some random stranger to be Overboss and not do my research on her?"

"Holy shit...that's why she gave you all the territories. You were blackmailing her..." His heart sank at the realization.

It all made sense. It was why Kit was always hostile toward the Pack but still gave them everything, it was why every time someone mentioned Mason she would clam up and never talk. She was scared. He felt like a fucking idiot for not realizing it sooner...and now thanks to him she was in his arms. Kissing Mason like she used to him. 

"Look who finally caught on. Heh, good right? Now, I got all the parks, Nisha is dead, and I get Kit. Looks like I'm the alpha after all." He grinned.

Gage pushed him back against the wall and grabbed a handful of the ridiculous shirt he wore. It was taking everything not to bash his face in. 

"You stay the fuck away from her! I won't hesitate to put you in the dirt." He growled.

"Do it. I bet the Overboss will be thrilled to hear you killed her man. Not to mention all of the Pack will be out for blood. Face it, Porter. I won. Kit don't love you."

"Fuck you!" He let go of him and stormed out of the room. 

None of this would have happened if he didn't push her away...the worst part of it all was thinking that Mason might be right. Maybe she doesn't love him anymore...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short and kinda weirdly written. I've been struggling with it all week. :/ I might add some more things later.


	14. Making Up Is Hard To Do

Kit paced around her room, trying to clean up the mess on the floor that had been there for two hundred years. Dust and grime were embedded into every crevice of Fizztop, it was bad enough that she had to live where Colter lived, but she refused to live in his filth.

She sighed and sprayed the counter top with a homemade cleaner as she thought about the past few months. She had a new home, a whole park under her power, raiders to boss around, pockets full of caps...she had everything she could ever want or need. Except Gage.

She wanted to go back in time...make everything right. She would have never checked into that fucking vault. Even if it meant her and Nate died, it would've been better to die as a family. Who knows? They could have been ghouls like the Vault-Tec representative...anything would have been better than living in this hell hole. Alone.

As she wiped off the bar she took a seat on the stool, wishing she had something strong to drink to make her forget. Pepper jumped on the counter beside her and let out a mew. She pet his head, listening close to his purrs. He was already twice his size since Mason had given him to her. She loved him though, it was nice not to have to sleep alone.

The elevator buzzed, going down to pick someone up. Kit let out a sigh, it was probably someone from the Pack with another food delivery. She stood up from the bar and rubbed Pepper's ear once more before walking over to the elevator. The last thing she expected was to see Gage coming up to see her. She felt her heart leap, it had been days since she had spoken to him but it felt like forever. She tried to hold back a smile when the elevator stopped and they were face to face.

"Gage..." She said softly.

"Hey." He exhaled nervously and walked off the wooden platform.

He stood in front of her and let his eyes explore the room, looking at the cat the sat on the counter. He knew it was a gift from Mason...it made his head fuzzy with anger.

"How are you?" Kit asked.

"Fine." He lied.

They both stared at each other in awkward silence. There was so much to say, but neither of them had the guts to do it.

"I, uh, just wanted to check in...make sure you're okay." He commented.

"I'm alright...I miss you." She admitted.

Gage could already feel his heart race. It had been so long since he heard her voice and now she was saying all the perfect things that made him nervous.

"Yeah, I just needed some time to think about everything." He let out a shaky breath.

"And?"

"And...I missed you too, Kit."

He saw a soft smile pull at the corners of her mouth. He had forgotten how beautiful it was...

"So, does that mean you aren't mad anymore?" She asked.

"I ain't gonna lie, I'm still pissed off. You lied to me...twice now. How am I supposed to trust you after all that?"

"Because I care about you."

"Do you? I mean, what if you're lying about that too?"

"I'm not, Porter. I love you." She reached out to touch his hand. He sighed and pushed it away. 

"Love has nothing to do with it. You lied about your husband being dead, you lied about the Minutemen, and you lied about Mason blackmailing you."

"Oh. You knew about that?" She took a step back.

"I put two and two together...I'm just surprised you didn't come to me. I could've protected you."

"What was I supposed to say? You had Colter killed because he was lazy, why wouldn't you have me killed for lying? We barely knew each other back then."

"Kit, I would have helped you. If you trusted me then you would know that."

"I was scared of him, okay? I was afraid of what he could do..."

Gage scoffed and looked around the room again, as if an answer would magically appear and make all his resentment melt away.

"Well, I guess you ain't scared anymore." He shrugged.

"What are you talking about?" Kit locked eyes with him.

"I saw you...kissing him."

"Oh my god. Look, Porter, I-"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Kit. I get it."

"You do?" She asked.

"Sure. I should've seen it a long time ago. You play games."

It was Kit's turn to scoff now.

"I play games?" She glared at him.

"Yep. With me, with Mason, probably with that guy in the Minutemen too. You know, I watched you two that night...he looked destroyed after talkin' to you. Like his whole world was shattered...and I can relate. It was how I felt when I saw you with Mason."

"Listen, Porter, you don't-"

"No, you listen..." He cut her off "I love you, Kit. Alright? There, I said it...and I haven't said that to anyone before, not even my fuckin' parents. I loved you since I first laid eyes on you. But, I just don't know what the hell you're doing here. You aren't a raider, you don't murder or steal. I mean, you came here to kill us and now you're just staying? It doesn't make sense. Why are you even here?" He raised his voice.

"I...have no where else to go." She felt herself eyes tear up "I have no friends, no family, all I have is you."

"Is that all I am to you, Kit? A teddy bear to hold when you feel sad?"

"No! I love you, Gage." The tears spilt over her lashes.

"Why? I don't get it. Why would you want some old washed up raider? You said it yourself that you hate raiders so why don't you just fucking leave?" He shouted.

She looked at him in shocked silence. She had never seen him so mad...so hurt before. And it was all her fault.

She watched as he got back on the elevator and left. She felt hopeless, like nothing she could say could bring him back into her arms. But after her hopelessness faded, fury took over.

*

Kit burst into Mason's room with her jaw clenched tight. Her chest was bubbling with anger while her mind screamed.

She saw the alpha on his throne, watching her as she came in. He smirked and so help her God she wanted to smack it off of his face.

"Kitten, pleasure to see you." He purred.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" She yelled.

He was taken a back. His brow furrowed at her words and he stood up slowly, as if to warn her that he was much larger than she was. "You're forgetting that you're in my territory, boss. I can do what I want here." He smiled.

"You fucking ass!" She shoved him back into his chair.

He looked up at her with wild eyes. He had to admit, it was kind of nice to see her so dominant. "Why's my kitten so riled up?" He asked.

Kit scoffed and took a pause. In all her screaming she had forgotten to breathe. "That fucking kiss...I knew you were up to something! I should have never let you touch me." She sighed.

"Our kiss? What...don't tell me you've come back for more?" He chuckled.

"Shut up!" She hissed "...you kissed me in front of Gage. On purpose! To break us up."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Overboss. I didn't even know you are Gage were together."

"Yes, you fucking did! I don't know how you found out but you knew! And you ruined it!" She pushed against his chest again.

Mason grinned. "So, Gage dumped you and now you're blaming me? Cute."

"Fuck you! This was all a part of your plan, wasn't it?! To get Gage to hate me so I would be with you?" 

"What can I say? I get what I want." He smiled darkly. 

"Just stay the fuck away from me!" Kit shouted. 

Mason stood up again and towered over her, chucking as he witnessed how upset she was. He moved a stand of hair from her face and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Make me." 

Kit pushed him away and slapped him across his painted face. 

"You listen to me, damn it. I will NEVER love you." She spat. 

Mason's faced changed from smug to betrayal. He looked back at her with a fierce hatred behind his eyes. For a moment, Kit felt scared of him again. 

The last thing she could remember was seeing his fist come flying towards her face. 

 


	15. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel I must apologize. Firstly, because I didn't update last week...and also because of this chapter. 
> 
> Sorry :o

Everything went black. Silent.

For a moment, Kit thought she may be dead. That maybe this was what dying felt like...an empty, dark void. No raiders, no Minutemen...nothing. Just a quiet space where only she resided. She had to admit, it was peaceful. Almost comforting. She could get used to this... And then reality hit her. First slowly, then all at once.

She wasn't dead. She was blacked out. Locked in a trance...

She tried to focus on her surroundings, to not panic. It was something Nate had taught her before the war.

_Listen...observe...breath..._

As she slowly came back to consciousness she recognized the sounds of water dripping. It sounded like she was underground...or in a cave.

Her fingers twitched and felt the cold, hard surface below her. Metal.

Carefully, she peeked open her eyes only to see blurred lights and shadows. She tried to blink the distortion away when she felt a sharp pain in her right eye...it was bruised.

"Hello?" She asked aloud. 

There was no verbal response, but as she listened she could hear footsteps approaching, stopping a few feet from her face.

"Where am I?" She said softly.

"Don't worry, boss. You're safe." A familiar voice whispered.

Kit looked up to the blurred figure standing over her. As her vision slowly cleared she noticed steel bars surrounding her. She was in a cage.

"Mason..." She named her captor.

He chuckled lightly and tapped something hard against the cage, making the noise vibrate in her skull and aggravate her headache. She tried to bring her hands to her forehead only to realize they were chained behind her. 

"Wha-?" She tried to speak.

"Save your energy, boss. You're gonna need it."

"Where am I?" She asked again.

"You're still in Nuka-World. You're just in time out." Mason leaned down and locked eyes with her.

That's when she remembered everything. Gage telling her that he loved her...that he saw her kiss Mason and to leave Nuka-World because she didn't belong. Her marching over to Mason and telling him to fuck off and saying she didn't love him...and then him punching her in the face.

Panic overwhelmed her as she looked into the green hue of Mason's eyes as he glared down at her. She realized she had no idea of how much time has passed or where she was...

"Where's Gage? Is he okay?" 

"You're locked up in a cage and you're askin' about him? Cute." 

Mason slid his large hand through the bars of the cage and gently stroked her cheek, humming softly to himself. A tear escaped her eye and he wiped it away, shushing her in the process.

"It's okay, kitten. I ain't gonna hurt you." He smiled. 

"Let me out of here...I swear I won't tell anyone. I'll leave Nuka-World...I'll make you Overboss just please." She cried more. 

"No...you'll run straight to Gage and I can't have that."  

"I won't...I promise." 

"Sorry, Kit. That isn't how this is gonna work out. Don't worry though, this cage is only temporary." 

"What do you mean?" She asked. 

Mason chuckled and stood back up. He crossed the room and Kit's eyes followed him. He leaned against the frame of a door and looked back at her, smile still lingering on his face.

"I remember when I first saw you, Kit...you walked into my territory like a scared little pup. Eyes wide and afraid. You looked so pure and innocent...and when you walked up to me and said hello...I knew right then that I wanted to make you mine." 

Kit let out a cry as she felt herself fill up with more fear. The look in Mason's serpent eyes was terrifying...

"I thought long and hard about how I was gonna get you." He resumed his speech "...I thought I would just go into your room at night and fuck you. Make you love me...but then I noticed how afraid you were of me. I liked it...I wanted more. So, I decided to blackmail you...I thought somehow it could bring us closer...but that's where I was wrong. I didn't think Gage would end up falling in love with you too...and I really didn't think you'd love him back. But still, I thought maybe if I worked hard enough you would stop messin' around with him and come to me...so I kissed you. And instead...you told me that you hated me. You said you would never love me. And that's when I realized that Gage was right...you are too good for me." 

"No...no, I'm not. We-we could still be together, Mason." She didn't believe that...not at all. But she was willing to say anything to gain his trust back. 

"I wish that were true, kitten. I really do...but I don't deserve you." He sighed. "Which is why now...I have to kill you." 

"W-why are you doing this?" She sounded helpless.

He turned around and walked out of the door, but before slamming it shut he looked back down into Kit's eyes. 

"Simple. If I can't have you...nobody can." 

 

 

 

 

 


	16. Brain vs. Heart

Fizztop was quiet...depressing.

Gage sat on the couch overlooking the town with a bottle of whiskey, slowly drinking himself to death. He couldn't believe she had done it...she had left.

He never meant what he said...it was just his anger. He never wanted to push her out of Nuka-World. When he came to apologize and ask for her back she was gone. No trace of her left but the cat Mason had given her. He sighed heavily and took another swig of liquor.

It was all too good to be true...someone like him didn't deserve to be happy. He should've listened to his rule about never falling in love. It would have saved him so much heartbreak.

"Why don't you just go after her?" Fritsch asked.

Gage scoffed at the idea and looked up to his friend. "This ain't Romeo and Juliet or whatever the fuck that story is about...love doesn't exist for raiders."

"Says who? William and Mags are in love."

"Oh sure, siblings who fuck each other. Really romantic." He spoke dryly.

He tossed the empty whiskey bottle on the floor and opened another, taking in a long gulp. Fritsch watched with annoyed eyes.

"You going for some kind of record?" He asked.

"Yup. I wanna see how many bottles it'll take to make me not feel anymore."

"Look, you can't just let it end like this. I've known you forever, Porter...and I ain't never seen you so happy than when you were with her."

"Yeah, well...I guess you'll have to get used to me bein' miserable again." He brought the bottle of whiskey to his lips again and Fritsch smacked it out of his hand and listened as it broke in pieces on the floor. "What the fuck?"

"You're going after her. Now. Go to that settlement she has and bring her back. Me and Shank will hold down everything here."

"No. She doesn't want me, alright? If she did she wouldn't have been kissin' Mason"

"Mason is a slimy motherfucker. He could have tricked her into that or something, you don't know. Besides, it was just a kiss. That doesn't mean shit."

"Yeah, but-"

"Gage, if you don't get your ass on the next train to the Commonwealth I swear to God..."

Porter sighed and leaned back into the couch. His brain was telling him to forget about her...to move on with his life. His heart on the other hand...

"What am I even supposed to say? I already told her that I love her."

"So, say it again. Make her believe you."

"I don't know."

"Look, we need her. If you won't do it for yourself then do it for us. We can't survive without her." Fritsch reasoned with him.

Gage groaned and stood up from the couch, almost stumbling forward as the liquor set in. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn't survive without her either.

"Fine, Jesus...I'll go." He sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always feel like I need to just apologize. So, sorry this chapter is so short...I didn't have time to finish it. 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry in advance because I won't be posting on Tuesday. This week has just fucked me over left and right and I just have no time or energy to write any of my fics. I just need a few days off to relax and get back on my feet. Again, I'm sorry. I hate disappointing everyone but I seriously am about to lose my cool. I just need a break. Give me a week and I'll be back to posting regularly...I've just been having a hard time juggling so many stories and everything in my personal life that I'm becoming incredibly overwhelmed. Again, I'm sorry. :(


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